SaltTree

Make It: Laundry Line Clothespin Basket

2012-02-22T17:48:00.001-05:00

There is one particular thing I look forward to in the warm months to come... being able to forgo the clothes dryer and use my laundry line! Not only does it save quite a bit of energy and money, but sun dried laundry smells soooo nice. And, it's the best bleach there is for your whites.

To make laundry hanging a little easier, I decided to make a clothespin hanging basket so I'm ready to roll once those temperatures rise. Made using some scrap fabric and two metal hangers, I now have a handy stay open basket that will slide along my laundry line with me as I hang my clothes.

Mine is very basic. You can make this as simple, fancy or as 'finished' as you like. This project cost me $0.00. Yep.

Get your self two metal hangers. Mine were ones that came home with some dry cleaning. They are sturdy, but thin enough to bend with your hands.

I bent both of them into a circle and bent the hooks up like so. You can adjust the shape more later to get it just right for you.

Using packing tape, I attached both of my hangers together, leaving space between the two hook parts. You need two hooks so that your basket doesn't spin around once up on the laundry line.

Next I sewed the bag part of it. I measured my hanger hoop and sewed a simple sack. Honestly, I didn't even pin anything. Just free handed it. My sewing machine has some fun stitch patterns, so I did a row all the way around my bag to give it a little something. If you want yours to be super duper finished, you could line the bag with a coordinating fabric. *Oooooo*.... fancy!

Insert the hanger ring into the bag, fold the edge over and pin it in place. Make any adjustments you need to. Then, you can either hand stitch the bag in place, or hot glue it. I vote for hot glue! You can reshape the hoop if you need too. I made mine a bit more oval in the end.

That's it! One super quick and useful project completed. What do you think?

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Woodland Wreath With A Purpose

2012-02-15T23:48:00.000-05:00

I've missed making wreaths ... I do love a pretty yarn wrapped wreath and well... anything that gives me an excuse to work with felt is just an added bonus in my world. This little creation has an earthy, wise owl looking over a meadow of woodland foliage. I am extremely tempted to hang it on my own front door, or any where in my home for that matter!

But alas, it is not for me. As there is a purpose to this creation. I am determined to get my Etsy Shop back up and running by the end of this month. It has been far to long. I'm telling you all about my goal to keep me accountable and on track. It also means I need inventory! Hence, the creation. Yes, it will go up for sale!

So wish me luck and non-procrastination! You can bet I'll post links and make an announcement when my 'SaltTree' Etsy shop reopens.

Cheers all!
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What to do with Broken Costume Jewellery?

2012-02-10T16:01:00.000-05:00

If you are anything like me, you have some broken costume jewellery taking up valuable real estate in your jewellery box.

Bits of this, pieces of that, things you've been meaning to fix for months or longer *eek!*... Well, it's action time! How about turning those broken bits into a new, one of a kind piece?

Check it out. A 'new' necklace just for me! Made from different necklaces, anklets and bracelets. I didn't buy anything for this project. I used existing clasps and jump rings to connect all the bits with a pair of needle nose pliers. That was it!

I think it turned out quite nicely. Mine is a simple design but you could make yours as elaborate as you like! Sorry the photos aren't the best this time around, but I hope they are enough to inspire you to remake some of your own broken jewellery! Cheers!

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DIY Fabric Scrap Bowl

2012-02-08T09:28:00.000-05:00

A while ago, I was browsing at a home decor store and saw a neat fabric bowl that I picked up instantly and my inside voice said 'want!'. The price tag said 'put me down!'. I just couldn't justify paying for it when I new I could make this on my own. I decided to do a little digging around the www, and found a few variations of this type of project. Yay!

Want to see how I did it? You know the drill... follow along and I'll show you!

Materials Needed:
Cording / Rope
Fabric scraps
Hot glue
Scissors

Gather up your fabric scraps. You can do a hodge podge of patterns, colours or you can keep it all in the same family. I used whatever I had. I would suggest using similar weighted fabrics.

Cut the fabric into 1.5 inch strips or so. No need to measure, just wing it. If you are doing a decent size bowl, cut a lot!

Scavenge or purchase some cotton cording or any type of rope. Mine was a plastic type rope from the dollar store. But really, anything with that shape would work.

Get your glue gun ready and start wrapping the scraps around the rope, working along the length of it. You don't have to glue the entire thing, but I would put a dot of glue mid way through wrapping the strip of fabric, then again at the end. Once you've finished wrapping the strip of fabric, tack on a new strip with a dot of glue and continue wrapping. Do this until you have finished the length of rope.

This is my fabulous fabric snake lol. It's 50 feet! Surprisingly, it didn't take me nearly as long as I thought it would. So don't be intimidated. If you want to make a decent size bowl, you will need quite a bit of length.

Load up some more hot glue. Coil up one end of your fabric rope and glue. Hold it flat against a work surface. Run a thin bead of hot glue around and keep wrapping the fabric rope to make the base of your bowl. Make sure to coil it tightly so you don't end up with gaps.

Once you have the base as big as you want, start working the fabric rope up the sides, then start coiling it upwards, gluing along the way.

Once you have it the size you want, glue the tail end in place, clean off any glue strands and you are done. Voila! You have a fabric bowl!

If you want to get 'crazy', you could coil it into a vase like this!

The vase was a section of 29 feet of a thinner rope (used the entire 29 feet). The other two pieces were made from 50 feet of slightly thicker rope.

A big one would be awesome for magazines or books by the bed. A small one would be great for hair clips or bobby pin storage... a medium one for mail by the front door even.

Enjoy!

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Make It: Ruffled Umbrella

2012-02-05T13:17:00.001-05:00

Spring is edging closer and closer. Before you know it, rain will be abundant along with wellies and umbrellas! Yes... a see of boring umbrellas. Or not?How about you follow along and see how to make your own prettied up ruffled umbrella! PS, it cost me only $2.25 to make this. Thank you dollar store!

Get your self two umbrellas. I bought two identical ones from the dollar store (Dollar Tree) so my ruffles would match the umbrella exactly. But you could use two different coloured umbrellas, or recycle a few you already have.

Carefully remove the fabric from the umbrella frame of the one you want to use for the ruffles. Snip all the little threads, the nubbies from the ends of the spokes and cut it away from the top of the umbrella frame. If the frame is in good shape, stick it in the craft cupboard for another day.

Cut the fabric with sharp scissors into a giant spiral. Just free hand it. You will end up with one long coiled strip. I cut mine to be about 2 inches wide.

Bust out the sewing machine. Load it up with some coordinating thread. Again, just free hand it. There is no need for pinning and such. Along one side, about half an inch in, sew along the coil of fabric bunching it up with your fingers as you go as shown above.

When you are done, it should look something like this. Trim off any loose threads or jagged areas on the fabric.

Warm up the glue gun and open up the other umbrella. Before you start gluing, make sure your ruffle is long enough to go all the way around the edge of the umbrella. I had only two inches extra! Start gluing the ruffles you made onto the edge of the intact umbrella. Keep going all the way around with the glue a bit at a time. Trim off any excess ruffle and you are done!

I made this one for myself for day to day so I went pretty neutral with navy blue. But, I think it would be super fun to do some bright contrasting colours too!

This would be really sweet for a little girl, or even in some coordinating colours for a bride to be. Have fun making your own!

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Felt Log with 'Carved' Initials. Awe!

2012-01-27T02:05:00.001-05:00

Here is a sweet little felt project you can do for your special someone. How about a dandy little felt log, complete with some 'carved' initials. Gah... it's just so darn cute!

Ready? Let's go!

Get some craft felt. For this project, I used an entire 9 x 13 sheet of brown felt, about half of a cream one and just a bit / scraps of the red and green felt.

Load up your sewing machine with off white thread. Stitch some detail onto the felt, so it looks like the grain of the bark on a tree. Looking back, I wish I had sewn on more then I did in this picture. So you might want yours to be a little closer together then mine. There is no right or wrong here.

Cut out a heart shape from the red felt. Mine was about 2.5 inches. Stitch it using the sewing machine to the side you want to be the 'back' or 'inside' of the log once you are done.

On the front side, cut away the brown felt to expose the heart. Think of it like a reverse applique. Careful not to cut the heart! Eee, that would be tragic!

Stitch on some initials! I used embroidery thread because I had some, but white cotton string, thin yarn, or just some thick thread would do the trick too. You just want it to stand out.

With the right side facing in, stitch your log closed along the long side, leaving the ends of the log open.

Using your cream coloured felt, cut two circles out. Mine were about 4.5 inches in diameter. Don't worry if they end up a little big, you can trim it later.

Using brown thread, sew a spiral on each circle.

Pin the circles onto the end. If the circle is too big, just leave some overhang and you can trim it off after you've sewn it. Sew on both ends of the log, but be sure to leave at least 2 inches unstitched on the bottom end.

Turn it right side out through the opening and stuff the log. I used plastic shopping bags. Why not, right? Use a slip stitch to close the opening.

Finally, trim off any little threads and you are done!

I decided to add a twig and a couple leaves to finish it off. And yes, the initials are that of myself and my husband. Awe..... ;)

A birch tree inspired one would be fabulous, wouldn't it? Maybe that will have to be next!

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Simply Lover-ly Scones

2012-01-26T17:27:00.001-05:00

I'm not much into Valentines day and the overload of pink and red decor, traditions, blah, blah. But... I did want to make something that could be translated into a Valentines day treat for all of you. Simple, pretty, scones you can make any time of year! I made them pink just for all of you *wink*.

Ingredients

3 1/4 cups of all purpose flour, plus a little for dusting
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
4 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 cup of milk, plus a little extra for brushing the tops
Food colouring (optional, as desired)

1. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.

2. Using your fingers, rub in the butter until the mixture starts to resemble bread crumbs. Add in the sugar.

3. Measure out the milk. If you want to add colour to your scones, put the food colouring into the milk.

4. Turn out the flour mixture onto a lightly floured surface. Make a well in the centre and poor in the milk a little at a time. Fold the flour over into the milk and keep doing so until the dough comes together. Try not to over work the dough.

5. Flatten out the dough to about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness.

6. Cut out using a 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter or glass (whatever you have on hand) and place onto a baking sheet.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes in a preheated 425F oven or until tops start to get golden.

Cool on a wire rack, or serve warm with butter or preserves with a cup of your favourite tea.

If you really want to go for broke, you could drizzle with a little icing sugar frosting, or top with fresh fruit and whipped cream. Oh yum!

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Tickle Trunk Photo Shoot

2012-01-24T23:24:00.000-05:00

Recently, I had an awesome play date with some Momma friends of mine and their babes. The theme? Old fashioned, tickle trunk photo shoot! I set up a snack table with coffee and tea for the adults, juice, and a snack-bar of cheerios, cookies, goldfish, raisins and berries for the little ones. I wish I had gotten a picture of the snack bar!

It was a lot of fun! I only bought a few props for the shoot, everything else was stuff from around the house. The props I did buy, were either second hand or dollarstore items and maybe totalled $10. The bench was from the front entry of my home, the backdrops were bed sheets, typewriter and radio I had laying around, table and chair from Foster's play area. There were no 'meltdowns', the babes were all smiles and completely tuckered out by the end!

One of the best things about this play date? Everyone ended up with some fun photo's of their little ones (if I do say so myself). Another 'best' thing about the play date? The out-take pictures!

One of my favourite pictures is the top right corner... notice the shirtless blond boy hitting the background and squealing? Yep... he's mine! The picture on the bottom left? We were trying to wrangle them all for a group shot. HA! Like that was going to happen!

Finish the photo shoot party off with a little goodie bag for the kiddies and call it a wrap. I will definitely do this again. Plans are already turning in my head for a summertime event! Any thoughts on a summertime theme? I would love to hear your ideas!
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Reminiscing about Foster's Adventures

2012-01-19T12:44:00.000-05:00

I was thinking today about all the fun I had last year at this time, taking adventure photos of my little guy Foster (now 15 months old). Some of you may have seen my adventure posts from last year. Foster went on over 75 adventures! I really loved doing the scene pictures and sometimes I feel sad that there haven't been any more. He is constantly on the go now so there is no way I could get him to stay still for a scene picture now. Maybe when he's a little older and understands what 'stay still' means... lol. Maybe....

Well here is a couple from the past. *Sniff*... he's gotten so big since I took these!

Ah... what a great little model he was! Sigh...I think I'm going to go snuggle my little guy now lol.... have a wonderful day all!
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Sour Apple Microwave Lollies

2012-01-13T20:34:00.000-05:00

Are you intimidated by hard candy making? Using a standard household microwave, these sweet little lollies are a cinch to make. No candy thermometer needed!

Ingredients

1 Cup White sugar

½ Cup Light cornsyrup (I had golden on hand, so that's what I used)

½ tsp Apple flavouredextract

1 tsp Citric Acid(flavour boost which gives the tart taste)

Food colouring (as desired)

Materials Needed
Microwave safe bowl or 4 cup glass measuring cup (ie: Pyrex)
Plastic wrap
Candy moulds
Lollipop sticks
Non stick spray (ie: Pam)
Oven mitts / pot holders

Tip! Have everything measured, laid out and ready before you begin (including the extra piece of plastic wrap). Things will move very quick once the mixture starts to cook in the microwave. I highly recommend reading through all the instructions before you proceed.

Prepare your clean and dry lollipop moulds by spraying them lightly with cooking spray. Put all the sticks in place. My moulds were purchased from Golda's Kitchen.

Measure out the food colouring, apple flavouring and Citric Acid (I used Tart and Sour). The colour combination I used was 5 drops of green, 20 drops of yellow.

Mix corn syrup and sugar in the microwave safe bowl until well combined. It will be a sticky mix of sugaryness. Cover the bowl well, with a piece of plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH for 3 minutes, 15 seconds.

Remove from the microwave using pot holders, remove the plastic wrap and give it a good quick stir with a clean spoon (be very careful of the steam when removing the plastic wrap). Quickly recover with a NEW piece of plastic wrap, place it back in the microwave using pot holders and cook it again on HIGH for 3 minutes, 15 seconds.

Remove from the microwave again using pot holders, remove the plastic wrap and stir in the colouring and flavouring with another clean spoon. Now we pour!

I transferred my candy into a dispenser, but a Pyrex measuring cup would work great too. In fact, if you have a 4 cup glass measuring cup, you can make the candy right in it, then pour from it. I just didn't have a measuring cup that large hence why I made my candy in a bowl. Work quickly....it hardens before you know it! In case you are wondering, I had enough to fill five lollipop sheets, each mould making six, 1 1/2 inch lollies.

Let them cool. Do not refrigerate or put in the freezer to try and cool them faster. Just let it happen. Once they are cool, pop them out. If you are storing them all together, dust them with icing sugar to keep them from sticking to each other, or separate them using wax paper. Otherwise, you could wrap them in individual lolly bags.

How delightful! Of course with Valentines day approaching, you could make red or pink lollies and give them to your sweetheart. I'm just not one for traditional Valentines day colours myself. So green they be! And they are smack-your-lips yummy!

Oh... and if you are wondering about cleanup, I found nothing works better then boiling hot water.

Enjoy!

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*Recipe adapted from LorAnn Oils Microwave Hard Candy Recipe.

Fancy up that Basic Cupcake!

2012-01-07T11:43:00.000-05:00

Cupcakes. Sweet little handfuls of utter goodness. They are enough to settle the sweet tooth in us without eating a quarter of a cake! Let's face it though, we don't all have time to make our cupcakes from scratch... or the icing. Boxed cake, container frosting... they quickly become your plain old generic cupcake. Here is a quick way to bump your cupcakes from plain and boring to something a little extra special. We are going to 'fill' those cupcakes!

First, bake up some boxed cake mix into some lovely little cupcakes as per box directions (use whatever mix you like). I used 'confetti' cake mix. So far, pretty generic looking.

Here is the fun part! Get some sort of medicine dropper (any parent with small children are likely to have one of these hanging around), and fill it up with your favourite kind of jam or jelly. I'm using raspberry jam. You could also use something like Nutella if you've make chocolate cupcakes.

Inject the jam into the centre of the cupcake. I got a good tablespoon's worth in there. If your cupcakes are dense, you might not get quite as much in them.

Only a tiny whole in the top as evidence. Nobody will ever know once they have been frosted until they take a bite!

Nothing fancy here. I used container frosting in plain vanilla. I tinted mine pink with food colouring I had on hand. Here is a tip... if you whip the container frosting with your mixer, it will expand in volume and become a lot lighter and will stretch further! I decided to pipe my icing, hence why it's in a bag. I just cut the corner off the bag and went to town. No need for fancy bits and such. If you're not into the whole piping thing, you can frost them with a spatula or knife too. If you do pipe the icing, chill it a little bit in the fridge first. It will be easier to work with.

Ta-da! Pretty little cupcake! I know, the sweet pink teacup is awesome isn't it?! Courtesy of my Mother. She found it at a thrift store and gifted it to me this past Christmas. :) But I'm sure you're more curious about what the cupcake looks like on the inside, right?

Fantastic is what it looks like! I think I completely lucked out with how perfect this one cut open lol. You couldn't even see where I poked into the cupcake to put the jam in. It also tasted wonderful and was husband and toddler approved!

Enjoy taking those cupcakes to the next level. I'd love to hear some of your ideas for flavour combinations!

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Pick Your Plum Giveaway Winner!

2012-01-02T16:59:00.001-05:00

Hooray for giveaways! I'm happy to announce the winner of the PYP giveaway by random draw is, Kiri Lahey! Kiri will get $25 worth of goodies from Pick Your Plum! Congrats!

Thanks to everyone who took the time to enter! I am hopeful there will be many more giveaways in the future!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T15:43:00.002-05:00

I hope you all have been enjoying the holiday season with your friends and family! I'll be back posting some fun projects soon (I'm enjoying the time with my own family and friends). Until then, have a fantastic New Years Eve! Stay safe!

Merry ChristmasTo All!

2011-12-24T10:04:00.001-05:00

Enjoy this time with your family, friends and loved ones. Emmerse yourselves in the special moments, laughter and being in each others company. Be grateful, kind and compassionate for we have been given so very much in this life (my special gift is in the picture above!).

Warm wishes to you all, and have a very Merry Christmas!

Giveaway from Pick Your Plum!

2011-12-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

I am oh so very happy to host an awesome giveaway courtesy of Pick Your Plum!

For those unaware, PYP is an awesome daily deal site offering fabulous deals on quality crafting supplies to feed your creativity! They are generously giving away a sweetly packed Plum box of fab crafting supplies worth $25! Here's a sample of some previous offers...

I know...awesome, right? PS, the images above are not necessarily the exact items the winner will receive.

Let's get down to business!

In order to be entered into the draw for this amazing Plum swag, please head on over to PYP's Facebook page and click 'Like', then come on back here and leave me a comment on this post saying you have done so. If your email is not linked to your Blogger profile, please be sure to leave your email address with your comment so I can contact you if you win!

Want additional entries into the draw? Each of these will give you an extra entry! But make sure you've 'Liked' PYP's Facebook page first, otherwise, the extra entries don't count.

Bonus Entry 1 - Sign up for the PYP newsletter, then leave a new comment saying you've done so.
Bonus Entry 2 - Follow PYP on Pinterest, then leave a new comment saying you've done so.
Bonus Entry 3 - Follow SaltTree to the right -> and leave a new comment saying you've done so.

Ok, so the last one is shameless self promotion.... lol.

The giveaway will remain open until December 31, 2011, 11:59pm EST. One winner will be selected at random and announced January 2nd, 2012. Open to US residents only.

Good luck everyone!

*GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*

White Chocolate Cranberry Almond Bark

2011-12-19T00:04:00.002-05:00

Yum.E! I was trying to think of some last minute neighbour gifts that were super easy and didn't take a lot of actual labour. After all, with a little one running around and a full time job, things need to be quick and easy in general! So, using three ingredients I had on hand and barely five minutes of my time, this is what I came up with.

White chocolate melts... I think I had about 2 1/2 - 3 cups or so. I probably could have used at least another cup, but I made it work with what I did have. Anyhow, melt them in the microwave according to package directions. If you don't have the packaging, do about a minute to start, mix it up, and then do increments of 30 seconds until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth. But in the meantime, while that is melting......

About 2 cups of plain almonds spread out onto a clean, non stick baking sheet. Then, sprinkle approximately 1 cup of dried cranberries over the almonds. Try to have the pan covered, but a single layer of almonds / cranberries.

Take your now melted white chocolate and poor it all over the almonds / cranberries. You may need to use a spatula to spread it a bit. Then, either leave it on the counter to set or pop it into the fridge until the chocolate has hardened again.

Oh my... could you imagine this with dark chocolate? I love dark chocolate......

Now that it's hardened, flip it out onto a clean surface and break it up into pieces. Big or small, whatever you prefer.

Like I said at the beginning of this post... Yum.E! Super fast, super easy, little labour, great results. Perfect!

PS... stay tuned... I'll be posting about a give away tomorrow!

Candy Coated Swizzle Sticks

2011-12-16T07:09:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! This is a recent post I shared over at Type A!

I'm going to share with you something sweet and simple. I know, just look at it... yes, it DOES taste as yummy as it looks! It's a white chocolate and crushed candy cane coated swizzle stick, just in time for the holiday season.
Super easy + inexpensive x indulgent goodies = excellent gift idea!

Here is what you'll need for this little treat;
- chocolate candy melts, your choice of colour and flavour
- something to 'dip' like plastic spoons, candy canes, wooden stir sticks etc
- crushed candy cane or candy cane flavoured crystals
- wax paper

Put the candy melts in a microwave safe bowl and melt in 30 second increments, stirring in between. You don't want to burn it, so better to go slow. Do not add water or you will cause them to seize.

Once completely melted, coat your chosen swizzle stick in chocolate (about 3-4 inches worth) and then coat with the crushed candy cane bits. Set on wax paper to cool and firm up. If you find they look a little scrawny, just coat with chocolate and sprinkles again to fatten them up.

Yep! You're done! It really is that simple. The top is a straight candy cane and the bottom is a coffee stir stick which was by far the most economical route when making these. Just wait until they are fully cooled before packaging them... and it's a must that you do a little quality control taste test *wink*.

Package in clear baggies tied with ribbon, glass mason jars or anything else that you fancy. You could package a few in a mug with some cocoa so it's already to go.

You bet I had one with my hot cocoa after this shoot... those little boy hands also found it hard to resist and managed to sneak a taste or two. So, consider it one year old approved!

Delightful, Soft, Sugar Cookies

2011-12-13T00:42:00.000-05:00

Christmas is getting close, holiday baking is well underway...so that means, it's time to share my sugar cookie recipe with you! These are my all time, favourite sugar cookies, hands down. They are soft and easy to cut using cookie cutters. The dough freezes extremely well for up to 3 months. I made a couple batches of cookie dough last year before Foster was born in October and they baked up into fresh and tasty cookies for Christmas. You couldn't tell they dough had been frozen at all!

So come on, take a look, make it, pin it, tweet it, facebook it, stumble it, bookmark it... you're going to want this recipe! You will go back to it again and again!

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Cookie Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Measure the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl, mix and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and the sugar. Once smooth, add the eggs, vanilla and combine well.

Add the flour mixture to the butter / egg mixture a little at a time. Mix until the dough is smooth and flour is fully incorporated.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap so that it is touching the surface of the dough. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Overnight is fine too. If you want to freeze the dough, you can do so at this stage.

Working on a lightly floured surface, roll out your dough to the desired thickness. Don't go too thin... they are nicer when rolled thicker.

Cut out your shapes and place them on a lightly floured baking sheet. Nothing fancy here. I just used a small glass.

Bake in the centre of a preheated oven at 350 F for approximately 8 minutes (depending on the size and thickness). Here is the trick: As soon as the cookies no longer look 'wet' on the surface, they are done! See this picture? Notice the cookies look wet? Not done yet....

See these cookies? They are done! Once they come out of the oven, leave them on the cookie sheet for a couple minutes to set up, then transfer carefully to a cooling rack.

You can also freeze the cookies at this stage, before icing them.

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Basic Icing Recipe

1 cup of icing sugar
1 Tbsp corn syrup
1-2 Tbsp water
1/2 tsp flavoured extract (optional)
Food colouring (optional)

Measure out the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the food colouring and flavouring of your choice. I like peppermint or almond extract.... and add some food colouring if you like. I'm using gel colouring to get a really bold result.

Add the corn syrup, and 1 Tbsp of water to start. It should be thick, but you should be able to mix it smooth. If it is still very pasty, add just a tiny bit of water at a time just until you can mix it smooth.

You can either dip the tops of the cookies in the icing, or ice each cookie with a knife, or the back of a spoon (my preference).

The cookies will need to sit for a while so the icing can set up and become firm. If you are impatient, you could stick them in the fridge for a bit, single layer though!

I did an added drizzle in white over top of my cookies. If you want to add more then one colour, make sure the first layer of icing is completely set. Otherwise, the colours of icing will just bleed together. I decided to go completely nontraditional and do bright red and blue cookies. Love them!

I hope you will enjoy making some of your own sugar cookies! These ones are always well received and I often give them as gifts during Christmas.

*Alternatives: If you don't have corn syrup for the icing, you can omit it. The icing just wont be as shiny. Also, think of alternatives for colouring and flavouring your icing such as, a tsp of Crystal Light drink mix or even Jello powder. It opens up a lot of other flavour options without having to buy a bunch of different extracts at the grocery store.

Most importantly... don't forget to do some quality control. *wink*

Guest Post at Type A

2011-12-11T23:44:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! I've just done a guest post over at Type A as part of the 25 Days of Guest Bloggers going on right now! So please hop over and take a peek! I shared a super simple, tasty treat that would make great little Christmas gifts for others or yourself. Thanks so much to Tammy for having me!

And stay tuned... I've got some other yummy things coming up very shortly!

Musical Cookie Tin

2011-12-07T09:28:00.001-05:00

I saw an awesome little idea at a thrift store recently and I just had to share it! I know your thinking... it's just a metal tin....

... it's a musical tin! I was so excited, especially after recently sharing my musical ornament tutorial with you all. This would be a great way to give a little extra oomph to some gifted holiday sweets, wouldn't it?

Supply list
A tin with a flat side
Drill
Glue or Screws
Music box mechanism (new or recycled)
Safety glasses (wear them!)

Lay a piece of paper over the music box mechanism (the side with the turn key, but take the turn key off for now). Using a pencil or marker, make a mark where the turn key / screws would go by feeling it through the paper. Then, tape this onto the outside of your tin (as shown above) and drill through using the appropriate sized and type of drill bit. Be sure to wear your safety glasses!

No measuring required. If you are using glue to adhere your mechanism, just drill one hole for the turn key. I recommend using E-6000 as your adhesive.

Some music box mechanisms might have covers which would be great for this project. Mine doesn't, so I lined the tin with wax paper before filling it with some favourite cookies. An assortment of tea or individually wrapped candy would also be pretty sweet ;)

Enjoy!

Yarnaments

2011-12-06T22:56:00.003-05:00

Today we have an incredibly easy project... so much that I probably don't even need to do a tutorial. But just in case... here you go! Some simple and sweet yarn wrapped styrofoam balls, which I call, Yarnaments. Clever right? ... Um.... okay... maybe a little silly... but so am I lol.

Supplies needed: Styrofoam balls, Yarn, Scissors. Foofy work surface is not required, but highly recommended.

Hold down the end of your yarn and just start wrapping it around the styrofoam ball. Once you get it around a few times, the tail end will not unravel. Keep going around and around until you can no longer see the styrofoam and the ball looks uniform. Cut your yarn so that you're free from the skein (ball of yarn), and knot it around one of the strands you've wrapped around the ball. Tuck in the tail end under the other strands of yarn.

You can tie an extra bit of yarn so you can hang the yarnament or use ribbon... or don't tie anything at all!

I think they would look adorable on a Christmas tree, in a bowl as decoration or hanging a bunch together in a group. I think the multicoloured one is my favourite... it reminds me of candy canes!

Remember, yarn, styrofoam and a foofy work surface = a good time.

Miniatures in a Jar

2011-11-30T23:25:00.001-05:00

Let's make this awesome little waterless snow globe shall we? It would make a sweet addition to your holiday decor!

I found this little streetlamp miniature at the dollar store alongside some train tracks and accessories. I liked this one because it actually lights up!

1. I glued the base of the lamp to the snap lid of a mason jar. I flipped the lid so it would be inside out... because the glue would hold better on the metal side.

2. Grabbed some fake snow. Again, from the dollar store (Dollarama here in Ontario)

3. Using some glue around the base of the lamp, I covered the lid with the snow.

4. I put a little extra snow inside the mason jar, and gently screwed on the lid. The wire for the light was very thin, so it didn't interfere with screwing the lid on. PS, I also sprinkled some white glitter into the jar for some sparkle!

Flip the switch, give it a shake and enjoy! How cute would a grouping of these on a mantle be in different sized jars....

And just to show you, it even looks cute when the light is off. The waterless snow globe just opens up so many possibilities doesn't it?!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on other little things to put inside a waterless globe!

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Glittering Musical Ornament

2011-11-25T16:59:00.000-05:00

As you may have seen in a recent post, I had the pleasure of guest posting over at Craft Snob this past week as part of the November Handmade Ornament Parade. There are some fantastic creations over there, so I hope you'll go check some of them out! As for mine, I'm finally sharing it here!

It may look like a normal ornament. Glittering with utter lovelyness, granted... but what's so special? It's a music box! What a wonderful gift for someone (or yourself of course). I will be making one for a certain someone in my life who seems to have 'everything' and is almost impossible to shop for. I think most of us have someone like that in our lives.

Materials:
Music box workings
Mod Podge / brush
Glitter
Box cutter
Drill
Glue

Make sure your music box workings will fit into your ornament and that the wind up key will be able to come through the side with enough room to wind it up. I chose to use a flatter style plastic ornament for this reason. I purchased it at my local craft store for super cheap. Sometimes you can find them at the dollar store as well.

My music box workings are from Tuned Teeth, but you could recycle the workings from a music box rescued from the thrift store too.

Drill a hole in the ornament where you want the turn key to be. Make sure the hole is a big enough that it wont interfere with the movement of the key.

Cut the ornament open. I used a box cutter and it worked great. I didn't cut through the neck of the ornament. Just cut around the sides enough to get the music box inside.

This is the ugly part! Glue the ornament to the inside. Don't be skimpy. I used E-6000 which is an awesome adhesive available at your local craft store, applied with an old paintbrush. I then used it to glue the ornament back together. Hard part over. Go have some tea while it dries.

Coat the entire ornament with Mod Podge. Load on the glitter! Who doesn't love a little glitter? Especially during the holidays! Once it dries, make sure there are no naked spots. If there is, do another layer of Mod Podge and glitter it again. I got my glitter from the dollar store. Try mixing various shades of the same colour glitter together. It will look even more awesome when the light catches the different shades. PS, I took off the turn key before this step so it wouldn't get covered in glitter.

I know, you're thinking, 'What the heck did she do to it!'. Listen up, this is important. Yes, we love glitter. But do we love getting glitter all over the place? On our hands, face, clothes? Not really. So this is my biggest tip. Once you've got your ornament 'glitter-fied', give it a final coat of Mod Podge. It will dry clear and it will still sparkle. I promise! And, no glitter transfer! Once it's dry, glue the ornament top on and screw on the turn key.

Serious.Glitter. And it sounds lovely too! This one plays, 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas'. And just in case you are wondering, the sound is clear and crisp, not muffled at all by being in the plastic ornament.

I hope you enjoy making your own!

Featured on Craft Snob's, Handmade Ornament Parade!

Oh Christmas Cards... What to do With Thee?

2011-11-23T21:15:00.001-05:00

It's starting! We'll be sending and receiving Christmas cards making our mailboxes happy with something other then junk mail for a few short weeks of the year. But what the heck do we do with them all? I hate throwing out cards... but once the moment has passed.... what use are they? For my most treasured cards, I like to do this....

Binder style rings are available pretty cheap from office supply stores and are perfect for making little card book keepsakes for yourself!

Start with your smallest card and punch holes in it where you want the rings. Then, transfer those measurements over to the next card by placing the punched card over the next one, put a dot where you need to punch the holes. Do this with all your cards. No rulers needed.

Punch all your cards with a hole punch and put them on the rings. Now you have a special little holiday book of cards that you can bring out each year instead of having piles of them all over, cluttering up your mantle!

If you can't find binder rings, ribbon or yarn is always an option too! Keep this in mind for birthday cards, weddings, engagements etc!

Pass it on :)

Guest Post on Craft Snob

2011-11-23T20:37:00.001-05:00

I am delighted to say that I am participating in a very cool Ornament Parade over on Craft Snob that has been taking place throughout the month of November. I'd love it if you head on over and check out my little contribution to this amazing parade of talent in blog land! There are so many sweet and creative idea's to inspire you to get you craft on this holiday season!

Here is a sneak peek from my post... this is all I can show you for now! So if you want to see the entire project in all it's glittering wonder, go check it out! I'd love to hear your thoughts on my little creation :)

~ Amber

Guest Post at Randee's Organized Chaos!

2011-11-18T17:17:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone! So my little felt Gingy House is making a guest appearance over at Randee's Organized Chaos today! I hope you'll go and check it out! Thanks again for having me Randee!

For any of you popping over from the Chaos, I hope you'll stick around for a bit and check out SaltTree!

Ugly to Fab - Dollar Store Bird Redo

2011-11-16T19:22:00.000-05:00

I think almost any crafty person frequents the dollar store looking for cheap ways to feed their crafting habit. I'm in there all the time when Christmas starts approaching. There is so much stuff and they are always putting out more and more fun holiday decorations!

I found these birds. They are ugly, but it's not their fault. Cheap plastic with obvious seems where it was glued together, and plastic hair for a tail.... poor thing! Time for a little stash busting :)

I pulled off the cheap plastic tail and coated the bird with Mod Podge. Mixed up some glitter. I almost always use more then one colour as it gives it more colour depth, this was wine red and copper mixed together. I did two coats of glitter to be sure it got even coverage. After it dried, I gave a top coat of Mod Podge so the glitter wouldn't transfer onto things. And yes! It still sparkles!

I had a stash of peacock feathers that I purchased off of Pick Your Plum. It's a great site that offers daily deals on craft supplies.

Glued a few feathers into the end where the plastic tail used to be. Soooo much better! Don't you think?

I think they are super pretty :) I made six in total, two of each colour. Not bad for a total of $3.00. They could go on the Christmas tree, on a gift in place of a bow, or anywhere else really that needs a little prettying up!

Check your dollar store! They always have birds of some sort... sometimes, they just need a little help!

Glitter combo's used (equal parts of each);
Gold Bird: yellow gold, pale gold, champagne and silver
Teal Bird: blue, green
Wine Bird: wine red, copper

Felt Gingerbread House Ornament

2011-11-14T23:27:00.000-05:00

I recently saw some adorable ornaments in a store while browsing the holiday aisles.... I do love Christmas! I knew I could make it, cheaper but better. So follow along and I'll make this short and sweet :) A felt gingerbread house holiday ornament. And, it's NO SEW. Let's go!

Materials needed;
1 sheet of brown craft felt (9x12)
1 sheet of white craft felt (9x12)
Scraps of various colours of felt or other decoration of your choice
Glue gun / glue

I put all the steps into a montage of sorts. Read below for descriptions of the steps.

1. Cut out your felt pieces as per the template provided at the end of this post. Part's A and B will be the house colour. I used brown for this. Parts C and D I used white for the snow.
2. Start with parts A and B. Apply a bead of hot glue along the felt, almost at the edge, starting from the peek of the roof.
3. Stick part A, to part B like shown in the image.
4. Run another bead of glue down what would be the side of the house, gluing it at the edges with piece A.
5. Continue wrapping and gluing piece A around piece B.
6. Before you get to far, start gluing on the back of the house (the other B piece) using the same method.
7. Stuff the house with something foofy. Use whatever you have, cotton balls, tissue... I used a plastic grocery bag.
8. Glue the roof closed.
9. Glue on the 'snow', pieces C goes over the roof and D goes at the peak on the front and back.

All that is left is the decorating! There are no rules here. Do what ever makes you happy :) I cut out some little windows and candy for the snow covered roof. You could use beads, glitter or even pipe cleaner to decorate it. To finish it off, I threaded a piece of ribbon through the top so it could be hung.

Enjoy making your own gingerbread houses! And PS, there are no rules to say you have to make your house brown ;)

Template available here, (There are two pages, so be sure to get both of them!).
Gingerbread Template pg1
Gingerbread Template pg2

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An $8 Fix for that Old Fridge

2011-11-07T23:17:00.000-05:00

We were thoughtfully given a fridge by my in-laws for our basement. I'm not sure about you, but one fridge just doesn't seem to cut it for a family that eats lots of fresh foods. The catch? It's so very old... and not good retro old... more like not quite cool looking late 80's old. But... it works fantastic and is in great condition.

So what does one do when one is stuck with an eyesore of an old fridge, in a newly finished basement, with no where to 'hide' it?

You stop trying to hide it and make it pretty! Bye, bye 80's almond, hellllooooo beautiful! Ugh, I still can't believe this is my fridge. I love it so much now! Here is what I did...

I picked up a few rolls (four to be exact) of adhesive paper from my local dollar store (Dollarama). Grabbed my handy ruler and a sharp cutting blade. There was no science or exact method to this... cut the paper and stick it to the fridge. Use a credit card or something of the sort to push out air bubbles as you lay the adhesive paper to the surface. If you miss an air bubble, poke it with a pin after and smooth out the bubble. It took me about an hour to completely cover the fridge. Yep. I did front, sides and top! Entire fridge = $8.00!

Here is a closer view so you can see the pattern a little better. I really love this pattern not only because it looks great, but you can't even tell where I had to 'patch' a little here and there. Especially around the handles where it was harder to cut the exact shape. The pattern was also such that I could adhere the paper in any direction and the pattern was the same. All important things to think about!

I may have to wander around my home a little more looking for other things to apply this stuff too! I've already done my husbands dresser, now the fridge... what's next? Stay tuned!

The Little Chicken... or is it a Rooster?

2011-11-03T23:10:00.000-04:00

Last year was a little too cold out here in Ontario to take our then week and a half old newborn out for Halloween. This year though... ah..... yes. Momma made the costume :) Inspired by a pin I saw on Pinterest, I made Foster into a chicken! Looks a little like Foghorn Leghorn, so perhaps he was more of a rooster!

I made the costume a little more then a month in advance...and oh my! It almost didn't fit him! He fought getting into it a little but overall, he was awesome! He's wearing, two long sleeve onesies, two long sleeve shirts, two pairs of pants, three pairs of socks, a hat and scarf. What a trooper! Once people started dropping candy and things into his bucket... I think he forgot about the 'trama' of getting dressed in his costume. You couldn't pry that bucket from his hands his grip was sooo tight!

The haul. He went over all the candy very carefully and finally decided to focus all his attention on a tempting little lolly pop. But I'm sure you can all guess who will most likely be eating this candy... gah!

We had lots of fun with our little man :) He was so good and everyone loved his costume! Hope you all had a great time too! We are STILL finding feathers floating around! :p

The Party!

2011-10-29T22:25:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been my first week back at work. Still feels a little surreal! But week one is over and I got a little time to write up this post.

Foster's 1st birthday party was last weekend and it was lovely! It all turned out pretty well as I'd hoped, we had lots of fun with family and friends, lots of goodies to eat and plenty of snuggles and giggles with the birthday boy! I incorporated quite a few of my previously posted projects into the party so come check out how it all came together!

The night before, the table was set (before the table cloth was de-wrinkled!). The bunting banners were hung, balloon bouquets assembled and all the platters set out with sticky notes on each one, so any helpers would know what goes where.

Tin cans were given another purpose as utensil holders wrapped in pretty paper next to a chalkboard sign with a big ole' 1 on it :) This was on a low buffet in my living room. Hey, when you have a smaller home, you use every surface available! A refreshing pitcher of punch was set out here as well just in time for our guests arrival.

Paper pinwheel cupcake toppers! They worked out perfectly! And added the perfect amount of whimsy to the table! I had a few extras which ended up going into some houseplants as party decor lol.

The blue tiered trays I made looked great on the table. It may look crooked in the pic, but it's just because I used my wide angle lens! The red cake stand on the right with the tasty sugar cookies on it (recipe to come in the near future!), was later used for Foster's 'cake smash' photo session! Keep going... there are pics of that too!

The table looked great if I do say so myself! One more platter and I'd have been out of luck. It was full up to capacity! I even had to use the shelf under the window to hold my homemade lemon gum drops! Displayed in some DIY apothecary jars... naturally... hehe.

Yum-E! The rainbow cake was quite a surprise to our guests when it was cut into! Complete with a couple 'oOoo's'. I mean, who expects to see a rainbow cake when all you see is white icing on the outside!? What a great treat for a little ones birthday! I will definitely make this cake again.

The birthday boy sharing a moment and some cake with his Godmother. Eryn, you were such a great help!

Salted caramel popcorn.... yes... it's as good if not better then it sounds. These were the little 'thank you' party favours I made up for our guests and were a big hit! And it was so much easier to make then I ever thought it would be!

Foster was so completely wiped out after the party, that we held off on doing his cake smash photo session until the following day. So worth it! Dressed in just some shorts and his little guy tie, we let him at it. Foster loved it, we got some great photos, and bath time was very colourful afterwards! Yes, I made a second rainbow cake just for the 'smash' session. We reused the table cloth as the backdrop, the cakestand found it's true purpose and we added in one of the bunting banners used as party decor into the scene. So fun!

There are so many photos that I couldn't possibly share them all. I know all parents marvel at how fast the time flies by, but I really cannot believe a year has gone by already! As much as I miss the wee little bundle he was and sometimes wish he would stay little forever, I am so excited to watch him continue to learn, experience new things and grow into the person he is meant to be <3

*sniff!*

2011-10-24T05:30:00.000-04:00

Well, today is the day. My first day back to work after almost 14 months off. My little boy turned 1 this past week *sniff* signaling the end of my maternity leave. I know I'm very fortunate to have had all the time with my little guy that I did but I'm still very sad that I wont get to see him as much, missing simple moments like how much fun he has emptying the laundry basket and climbing in and out of it! Grandma is to the rescue and will be watching over him while my husband and I work. Doubly fortunate considering daycare would be almost as much as our mortgage payment a month! SO wrong...

My return to work also means my blog posting might be a little more infrequent. At least until I settle into a new routine. So stick with me... I'm still here :) Having this time off has been so amazing with my little guy, but it also gave me some time to create. I'm going to miss it! I guess it just means my 'to do' list is going to be that much longer... eek!

PS, Pictures of the birthday party will be up soon! For now though, I need to go dig out my travel mug....

Salted Caramel Popcorn Party Favours

2011-10-21T00:02:00.002-04:00

Yes... salted caramel! If you're anything like me, you can hardly resist that salty sweet taste! I blame Starbucks and their salted caramel hot chocolate. Those things are dangerous!

I had been thinking and thinking about party favours for Foster's 1st birthday party this coming weekend. It's always nice to send a little something home with the guests, but I was drawing a blank for ideas. Then, I found it...

Home made caramel popcorn! Trish over at Mom On Time Out shares her recipe for this tasty treat. I was sooo excited when I found it! Thanks again Trish! I'm not going to bother posting the recipe or the instructions here as Trish's are very clear and complete. So, if you want it... head on over! The only change I made was to sprinkle on some coarse salt when the caramel popcorn came out of the oven for it's final toss. Hence why I call my variation, Salted Caramel Popcorn. SO GOOD!

Some nice, but easy packaging was definitely in order. The popcorn, once cooled, was divided up into resealable plastic baggies. I also made simple folded tags from decorative paper for the top of the bags, stamped with 'thank you' and stapled on (above the zipper part of the baggie).

I hope our guests approve!

PS, for some variations, you could add pecans or shelled, unsalted peanuts to the mix. Or if you want ultimate decadence, drizzle some melted chocolate over the finished popcorn. Yep. I went there.

Enjoy!

2 Dollars & 15 Minutes

2011-10-19T00:05:00.000-04:00

That's right. 15 Minutes. That is how long it took me to make over my husbands chest of drawers in our bedroom. And, can I add... I did it on the cheap. Super cheap! Come along... I'll show you :)

The subject. A typical Ikea dresser that has passed it's prime. I've been tired of looking at the blue fronts of those drawers for so long now and the clear top drawer front that shows everything through it and on it (fingerprints!). But what to do? Paint you say? Nah... Podge it? Maybe... but I was out of Podge and I wanted to do it cheap remember? Like $2.00 cheap.

Target aquired! $2.00 peel and stick paper by the roll. I got it at my local dollar store. One roll was enough for my project. Out came the rotary cutter and mat!

I measured each drawer front individually and transferred those measurements to the back of the paper. You can't assume all the drawers will be exactly the same, even with mass produced furniture from Ikea. So if you do a project like this, always measure each one. I also had to account for the pattern on the paper, making sure the pattern was going the same way for each drawer and that they all lined up.

When applying it to the drawer front (which was cleaned and dried first), I worked from one end to the other, peeling the backing off the paper as I went. I was able to lift up the paper and re-position a little if I needed too along the way. I used a credit card to smooth out air bubbles and such while it was being applied. It's easier to get them out while you are applying the paper, rather then after!

And there you have it. A $2.00, husband approved, dresser makeover done in 15 minutes. And I still have some left over paper for a future project. Here are a couple more pics!

Yay! :)

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Make It: Bleach Pen Pillowcases

2011-10-13T22:48:00.000-04:00

How about a little laundry style drawing fun for today? Pillowcases + bleach pen = fun new pillows! Yes, that simple. Want to see some more details? Well, keep reading!

You'll need a pillowcase (or other fabric), a bleach pen and some chalk (optional). I used the Clorox Bleach Pen and some plain black cotton pillowcases I found at my local dollar store. I know, score right?!

Put a layer of wax paper, plastic or foil inside the pillowcase or under your fabric, to keep the bleach from bleeding through. You may want to tape down your fabric as well so it doesn't shift around. Draw out your design in chalk. Be as simple or detailed as you want. I decided to do a pair of picture frames. I like the imperfectly drawn look of it.

Trace over your design with the bleach pen. You don't need to glob on the bleach. In fact, I found that the more you put on, the more it would bleed. So go light! You can always add more. Once you've finished applying the bleach, let it set until you are happy with how much it has lightened. Also, just because you're bleaching the fabric, doesn't mean it's necessarily going to turn white. The colour your bleached area becomes will all depend on the original colour and tone of the fabric you are working with.

Next, rinse off the excess bleach in your wash tub and toss it into the washing machine on a cold cycle with some detergent. Let it wash... dry.... then there is only one thing left to do....

Admire! I really love how they turned out and that they are totally unique. These ones are staying on my bed, but they would make a sweet handmade gift for someone in your life too. How about doing a Mr. & Mrs. set for some newlyweds? Some counting sheep for a child? Or even just some Zzzzzz's?

I did a single flannel pillowcase as well to give to my niece. The flannel seemed to be more prone to bleeding, so keep that in mind if that's what you choose to use. However, it did bleach very well and I'm quite happy with it. I hope my niece is too!

*PS, I used about half of the contents of the bleach pen for all three pillow cases shown here.

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Baby's 1st Birthday Prep - The Cake!

2011-10-11T00:30:00.000-04:00

Now that we are into October, life starts getting a little busier with birthdays galor, the upcoming holiday season and..... my looming return to work, which is so close now I can almost hear my alarm clock buzzing.

To make things a little easier come Foster's birthday party, I'm making his birthday smash cake and cupcakes in advance. Freeze them... *party time arrives*.... thaw them, decorate them, eat them! But how could I not give a sneak peek into what I'm doing. So here it is. But you'll have to wait for party pictures to see how it all comes together. Read on!

A while back, I found this beautiful photo of a rainbow cake at Omnomicon and completely fell for it. I loved the idea of it so much, I decided to use it as Foster's birthday cake.

I used just the method shown on the site to make my own cake, not the alterations to the cake recipe. I also made the colours quite a bit bolder for mine. I can barely wait to cut into it to see how it looks! But alas, I have to wait for the big day. And so do you!

One box of basic white cake mix, made according to box directions. Six bowls, six spoons, gel food colouring and some patience. My purple was a little dark. Ooops! But onward we go!

I decided what order I wanted to pour the colours in and committed to it. This is how it was done;
Pour the first colour into the center of the pan.
Pour the second colour over it into the center of the pan.
Pour the third colour over the others, into the center of the pan... and so forth until all colours are added.
As you pour them they spread out and the next colour you pour in, pushes the cake batter out further to fill the pan. For the other layer, pour the cake batter colours in the reverse order. That way, when you stack the cake layers, there will be more variation of colour throughout the cake. Don't worry, it doesn't have to be perfect! (The pic of the other layer is way to blurry to even bother posting it. I was really tired when I was baking it!)

Baking... just about done. Now wouldn't you be tempted to cut into it to see how they look? I know! And to top it off... that is the last photo you get to see of the cake for now. And I can hardly believe I shared a picture of my dirty oven....

Some colourful cupcakes to go along with the cake. Needless to say, there are way more then just the twelve shown here. And, I made them in all the colours used in the cake of course! This will be a special treat for a special day and I hope these bring a little extra sunshine to the table for my birthday boy and our guests :)

PS, I was good. I didn't have a single cupcake. They ALL made it to the freezer safe and sound!

Lemon Drops

2011-10-05T00:30:00.000-04:00

I did up a batch of gumdrops in preparation for my little guys upcoming birthday party. Sweet lemon flavoured! Gumdrops are very easy to make. I used the recipe that I shared with you previously, but used yellow food colouring, the rind of one lemon and 1/2 tsp of lemon extract for the flavouring.

Aren't they pretty? They taste great too! Once again, you can find the gumdrop recipe here.

Make It: Mod Podge Coloured Glass

2011-10-04T21:41:00.000-04:00

I have an affection for canning jars. Big, little, old and new.... I love how many uses they have! And like many, I love those old vintage mason jars in that pretty blue with the zinc lids... just not the price tags. How awesome would it be to mimic that look in any colour you wish with a little DIY action? Well keep reading and I'll show you!

I found a great tutorial here on how to create your own coloured glass using Mod Podge and food colouring. Now to me, that's a score since I don't have glass paint on hand, but I do have Mod Podge! To be fair and make sure all credit is given where it's due, the tutorial I used spawned from this one. And to complicate things more, I'm going to show you my version, but I'll be making my jars a warm pink. Phew! Got all that? Great! Let's go...

Start with clean glass jars, or any glass vessel you wish. Keep in mind, this will not be food or water safe once completed. Grab your Mod Podge.

Add a few drops of food colouring and a touch of water to thin it down a bit. I did about 1/4 cup of MP and about 1-2 tbsp of water. I only had a little MP left in the container, so I mixed mine right in the bottle. You can mix yours straight in the jar, or in an old cup / can. You just want it to be runny enough that you can pour it more easily.

Swirl the coloured MP around the inside of the jar until completely coated. Make sure you pour out as much of the excess MP as possible to avoid pooling in the bottom of the jar. Although, I found no matter what, you will get a bit of pooling! If you let the jar dry upside down, you will end up with clumpy, dry, drip marks around the brim. Trust me... don't do it.

You can let it air dry, which will take a looooong time, or, you can stick it in the oven on the lowest temperature until all the MP has dried clear.

Finished product! I love the idea that I can make them any colour with stuff I already have around the house and in my craft cupboard. These will be lovely little tea light candle holders for my home! How lovely would they be as part of a party tablescape... lighting up an evening gathering in the garden... or simply gracing a shelf or windowsill in your home.

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*PS, if you want them to be water resistant, use glass paint!

SVG Owls - Free Download

2011-10-03T00:30:00.000-04:00

My last post with the owl clock makeover put me in an owl mood!

A little while ago, I was generously given a Cricut personal cutting machine. I was super excited and ready to put the little critter to work. Then I started to realize the design cartridges can be terribly expensive. Natrually, I researched other options and now have Sure Cuts A Lot software on my laptop allowing me to use any .SVG file (scalable vector graphic) as a shape to cut. Of course, that wasn't enough. I needed to learn how to make my own .SVG files! So here are a few of my first ones. Tested and all, this family of owls would love to find there way into real life via your personal cutting machine.

Click the links below to download any of the owls that you wish.
owl 1.svg
owl 2.svg
owl 3.svg
owl 4.svg

Stay tuned, I'll be making some for the upcoming holiday season! Suggestions are welcome!

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Owls are cute... but these ones needed help!

2011-09-28T21:19:00.001-04:00

Like many crafty folks I'm sure, hitting up the thrift store for unique finds isn't uncommon. On this particular day, I was on the hunt for various picture frames for a project, when I came across this 70's throwback...

I'm not kidding about the 70's thing... I swear there was enough grease and grime build up on this thing to date it that far back. Icky! At least it was only $1.00!

Dismantled the clock from the plastic owls and into the sink it went. The eyes kept staring at me....

I scrubbed so hard I took off the finish lol. Better then having that sticky layer of grime on my soon to be cute owls though!

One poor little guy was missing an eye... so I gave him a brand new set of eyes using a set of extra buttons I had laying around.

A new backing for the clock face cut out and ready to go.... a few coats of primer and Krylons Ivory spray paint......

...and you have a happy family of CUTE owls which will hang peacefully on my wall :) The lesson? Don't pass by seemingly ugly woodland critters and nocturnal birds on your hunt for treasures. Spray paint can fix almost anything!

Hoot!

Staircase makeover on a budget

2011-09-27T21:21:00.000-04:00

When we moved into our (resale) home, we inherited the existing carpeting that stretched from the bottom of the staircase all the way up and throughout the entire second floor. Blah. I love area rugs for softness and warmth... but wall to wall carpeting... no. Obviously redoing the flooring in your home can be very expensive, so we decided to start with the staircase and did it in a pretty cost effective way. Yay!

The carpeting even went on the raised landing (it's already ripped up in this picture), and stretched into the closet. Silly place for carpeting if you ask me! It was the first spot to go... and.... boo... PLYWOOD :(

However, the treads on the steps (which were existing from the build of the house) were in pretty decent shape and were NOT made of plywood, which meant, totally stain-able! The spindles and railing came off and the steps got a good sanding

The spindles, risers and the side of the stringer all got a few coats of fresh white paint. The stairs were stained (which included varathane) and the handrail and newel post got a coat of stain so they would match the treads a little better.

Besides paint, stain and some sandpaper, the only big purchase we had to make was one package of bamboo flooring for the landing (the plywood part) and a little trim to finish the edge. The whole staircase was done for under $120.00! That's including all the supplies. Kind of makes you rethink what's under that carpet doesn't it!

Get the Dish...

2011-09-26T00:14:00.000-04:00

Here is another quick project for you. Make yourself a pretty decorative bowl. All you need is some paper, Mod Podge, and a clear glass bowl of your choice. Check it out!

Project List
Pretty paper, not too thick
Mod Podge
Paint brush
Scissors
Clear glass bowl with a relatively smooth outer surface
Acrylic craft paint or spray paint
Clear coat (ie; Varathane)

Cut your paper into smaller strips so they are easier to work with when podging them to the exterior of the bowl. I cut 'curves' along one edge of my pieces so they would match the shape of the top edge of my bowl. I also cut a circle for the bottom by tracing the bowl.

Bust out the Mod Podge (I used 'Hard Coat'). Using your brush, apply a layer of MP over the exterior surface of the bowl. Stick on your pretty paper so the pattern / design is face down. Do this until the entire bowl is covered. I did the bottom of my bowl first, then started around the sides, trying to keep the paper as smooth and wrinkle free as possible.

Once your entire bowl is covered in your paper, give it a final coat of MP and let it completely dry.

Finally, give the exterior of the bowl a coat of paint in your choice of colour. Acrylic craft paint or even spray paint will do. I do recommend you clear coat the painted side once it's dry so it's more durable. I painted my bowls exterior with navy blue acrylic craft paint.

Voila! A pretty bowl! You could use newspaper clippings, pretty papers, wrapping paper, stamped paper, light weight fabric... so many choices! Make one as a gift or for yourself :)

*ps* clean bowl with a damp cloth only, do not put in dishwasher or submerge in water

Make It: Fabric Wrapped Hangers

2011-09-23T19:15:00.001-04:00

We're going to do a 'pretty it up' project today and wrap some boring plastic hangers with fabric. Sounds simple enough, right? Well it is! And the results are quite lovely! Follow along with these easy steps to make your own.

What you need:
Plastic hanger, with no hooks
Fabric of your choice
Masking tape
Scissors or rotary cutter

If you only have hangers with the little hooks on them for hanging more finicky garments, you can probably cut them off quite easily with sharp blade or scissors. Don't limit yourself for your fabric options either. I used vintage upholstery fabric for one, a thinner cotton fabric scraps for another and an old stretchy cotton blend nightgown for the third. They all worked just fine. Curious about wire hangers? Sure... you can use them too! If using wire hangers, you may want to stick with a lighter weight fabric with a little give to it.

Let's go!

Cut your fabric into strips. They don't have to be perfectly even, but I would say no wider then 3/4 to 1 inch.

Start at the hook end, wrapping over the very tip first, then just start wrapping the fabric strip down the hanger.

When you get to the end of your strip, tape it down with masking tape. Tape down the beginning of your next strip of fabric and continue wrapping. Make sure to wrap the fabric over the tape to hide it.

Continue wrapping all the way around the hanger, until you get back to the middle. Here are your choices; a) you can make a loose loop with your fabric strip, wrap the tail end of the strip around the hanger once more, then pull it through the loop to knot off the tail end of the fabric, b) you can hot glue it! I knotted mine.

If you like, you can finish it by tying some pretty ribbon around it or even a little lace for some embellishment.

How about whipping up a few of these to give as a shower or housewarming present? Wrapping a child size hanger would be sweet gift for an expecting mother... especially if it comes with an outfit!

Of course, you could just do them for yourself... you deserve a little pretty too!

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Never underestimate the value of a Grandmother.

2011-09-22T01:24:00.000-04:00

In my opinion, it's too often that we can't see through all the filters we put over our eyes in day to day life, the value, worth and importance of our own family. So, I felt it was time for a family oriented post! Yesterday was my Mother's birthday :) And although there wasn't the means to do a big celebration, we celebrated 'Mom' none the less!

Grandma showing Foster how it's done for his birthday next month!

Foster excitedly playing with Grandma's birthday balloons! I'm happy to report, they survived!

What do you think? It's my first attempt at a four layer cake! I call it, 'Pink Lemonade Cake'. Ok... so it's a box of Duncan Hines white cake mix with the rind of one lemon added in, and some food colouring :). Oh... and buttercream frosting with some fresh lemon zest on top. And blueberries!

Plain white gift bag and envelope for the card were stamped and a little phrase added along side.

Foster knows Grandma likes notebooks, so he made this one a little extra special by putting his footprint on the inside cover so she would always remember it was from him.

I love my Mom. She is a wonderful, warm and selfless person, almost to a fault. The world, or at least, mine, wouldn't be nearly as great without her. Through all the years of growing up, she always made things interesting and fun. She encouraged my creativity no matter what it was, how messy, or how short lived! I'm happy that my little boy Foster gets to share in a part of that with her too.

Thanks Mom :) Happy Birthday! xo

Chairs - Before & After

2011-09-21T00:26:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to share a quick before and after with you! Chairs. We all have them. Some we love, some we don't! They were free, but a definite 'don't'...

Now, they are a 'do'.....

Ikea fabric, some spray paint (classic grey) and the staple gun to the rescue! I must take this opportunity to express my love for spray paint, again!.....and the staple gun.

It took me 10 minutes to do two chairs. And that's only because I had some 'issues' with the staple gun in the beginning. I'll just say I ended up with a blister or two!

Go staple something... just not, someone.

I heart bunting banners!

2011-09-20T18:14:00.001-04:00

Bunting (or flag banners) have long been a staple in party decor, but they have been increasingly more popular, or at least, visibly popular thanks to sites like Pinterest, Etsy and in the world of scrapbooking.

I've seen sooo many adorable, sweet and creative styles, paper, fabric and crocheted, I decided to incorporate bunting into Fosters 1st birthday decor. The above image is a little peek at mine, made of paper. Check out these other inspiring ideas for bunting banners.

lushlee


boobahblue

You can find a free, printable bunting flag template over at Sweetly Scrappy. Now go make some! But don't forget to share your creations!

1st Birthday Party Invites - Free Printables

2011-09-16T09:28:00.001-04:00

I've been slowly making all the elements for Fosters speedily approaching first birthday. Invites were up next! I know, they are more for me to be a keepsake, but they will go to at least a few people!

Once I was done, I thought perhaps some of you might be interested in the final image for your own little ones first birthday celebration. So how bout a freebie? I've done the same invite with three different backgrounds and different feature word. There are four, postcard style invites per sheet, to be printed out on standard 8.5x11 paper. I would recommend card stock. Then, simply cut them down to the individual cards! Use pinking shears or the wavy blade for your rotary cutter to give the edges more interest if you have either of those tools.

If you'd like, you may also print the very subtle background image I've supplied to give some interest to the reverse side of the cards. Just print it on the back of the card stock you printed the invite image on before you cut down the cards.

Click here to get the full printable 4up sheet of each style above, as well as the background. But you'll need the password which is 'candle'.

Enjoy!

Linked to;

Trash Table - Before & After

2011-09-15T01:00:00.000-04:00

On the eve of garbage day, sometimes I take a tour of the neighbourhood looking for useful things. I call it the 'garbage crawl'. Lately, I've had a thing for stealing hardware from furniture. So if you're behind me doing your own trash walk wondering where the other two drawers are for that dresser you were hoping to snatch up... well I probably took them because I forgot my screwdriver that night so I couldn't take just the handles *teehee...sorry!*.

This one day, we (my husband and I) went down sooo many streets and found nothing. It wasn't until we pulled into our own driveway that I saw this sitting a few doors down among my neighbours trash. My husband plucked it out of the pile and it came home with us. It's an old sewing table minus the sewing machine.

A little beaten, but that's ok. It got an awesome new 'bright' lease on life thanks to Krylon's Sun Yellow spray paint. I also kept the existing hardware.

And now it's got a new home. Awe... happy table!

Have trash find transformations of your own? I would love to see and share it with SaltTree readers! Send me an email at salttreeblog@hotmail.com with your before and after pics as well as an adequate description of your project and it might just become part of an upcoming B&A post.

PS. I love my sun yellow table!

Sometimes it's the simplest things...

2011-09-14T00:01:00.000-04:00

The simple little things we can do to change something in our home. And this one is super simple. You need a picture frame; new, old, recycled, homemade... whatever style you fancy.

One switch plate cover, electrical receptacle, thermostat or alarm panel ... basically, one of those ugly things that is stuck to your wall that you can't really do to much about moving without a permit or a professional.

Then do this. Quick and simple! Doesn't it look more interesting now? I think it would work really well if you had a switch plate or the likes framed such as above, incorporated it into a larger display of framed photos. The switch plate would become less immediately visible and tend to become part of the wall of artwork.

3M Command Picture Hanging Strips or something similar are ideal for attaching your frame to the wall. They hold really well and if you get tired of the frame or want to swap it out, you can easily take it down without damaging your walls.

I know, you're ready to get up and tour around your home to see what you can stick a frame around now aren't you.... I think I'll do one for my little guys room next :)

Linked to;

I'm back!

2011-09-13T15:04:00.000-04:00

A vacation in a hot and ridiculously humid Mexico all soaked in :) I wont make this into an overly drawn out 'slide show', so I'll just keep it to a few snaps of our first family vacation with Foster. And by the way, he did pretty darn good I must say!

Relaxing. The beach was beautiful. The sand was white and course (which will smooth anyones dry rough feet :) and the water was warm and blue. I love the smell of the ocean!

We went into town for a change of scenery to a place called Playa Del Carmen. Even though it was very touristy, it was nice to see some local shops and interesting buildings and such.

More relaxing... Foster slept sounder then ever on the beach. But then again... so did Daddy!

We visited the ruins of Tulum. It was 37 degrees that day, before factoring in the 90% humidity. It was disgusting! Wait, let me reword that. WE were disgusting... after the tour!

Everyone was drenched with sweat from head to toe! You probably can't really tell in this picture, but my shirt sopping wet. It is a very cool site to see though and it's right on the ocean which was beautiful.

Daddy and Foster playing around :). Baby playing in the pool... he loved the pool so much, and Foster and I having fun at the beach. I know, I'm so super stylin' with my visor on. I know you want one. I wish I'd had time to attach some rolled fabric flowers to it before we went to make it prettier. THEN you'd really want one :p

All of the shops were full of colourful souvenirs and kitschy stuff that I couldn't resist snapping a pic of this wall of skulls.

Finally, what would a trip to Mexico be without taking a few pics of the huge iguanas lounging around, baking in the sun? They were everywhere!

I'll leave it at that! There are way to many pics to share them all and if I don't stop here this post will just take on a life of it's own lol. Keep an eye out this week, I have a few things to share!

Some Much Needed R&R

2011-09-02T01:00:00.009-04:00

Image courtesy of coolcanucks.ca

Hey everyone! I'm sorry to say, posting will be NA this coming week. Hubby, baby & I are taking our first family vacation and heading south to sunny Mexico! So really... I don't feel THAT bad about not posting lol. I've never travelled to Mexico before, so needless to say, I'm super excited! Sunscreen, bathing suits, passports.......and diapers... check! I'll be sure to share some snapshots when we return :)

Hasta luego!

Make It: Little Guy Tie

2011-08-31T11:35:00.001-04:00

More preparation for Fosters upcoming first birthday! In my efforts to create the opportunity for some fun pictures at his first birthday celebration, I've been thinking 'what will he wear?'. I've decided to go with a little guy tie.. I've seen some adooorrrable baby and toddler ties available to buy online and such, but not willing to pay the price, I'm making my own :)

So here's what I did, step by step to make my very own, 'Little Guy Tie'.

Get yourself a tie. This one was one of hubby's old ones. It has a stain on the front, but you'll never see that part once it's turned into the little guy tie. A thrift store would also be a great place to look.

Tie the tie using the wrong end, making it the length you want. Don't worry too much about the neck size right now... but make sure it's at least big enough to fit your wee one! We'll adjust the rest in a later step. If you don't know how to tie a tie, check out these instructions. I did a basic 'four in hand' knot.

Once you are satisfied with your knot, give it a couple stitches on the backside in matching thread to make sure it all stays put. After all, this is going on a little one so you know it's going to get mauled!

The horror! Lol... cut off the excess part of the tie so you are left with just a mini looking tie. Then give it a few more stitches to tidy up the cut end so it doesn't show.

Like this one! Wait ... we're not done yet!

Ack!! Those darn scissors again! Cut the collar part of the tie in half. Make sure you know the size of your little ones neck. If you want this to fit around a collared shirt, make sure you measure the shirt so you don't end up with a bunched up collar when you put the tie on. Trim the collar part of the tie to the appropriate size for you little guy.

Now, you don't have to do this part, but I found it helped a lot when finishing the cut ends of the tie. If you open the cut ends of the tie a little bit, you can cut out some of the extra fabric and lining to make it less bulky for when you stitch the ends.

Stitch the cut ends of the collar part over to hide the unfinished ends. Hey, I didn't say I was a great hand sewer... don't judge lol.

Attach some velcro to each end of the collar part. This will give you some flexibility with size. I also like it because if the tie were ever to get caught on something, I know it will tear away. That being said, baby would really have to pull to get this sucker off. After all, we do want it to stay put!

Alternatively, you could use a button or hook as a fastener for the tie collar. (PS, I wish I had black velcro on hand when I did this!)

All done! My very own, 'Little Guy Tie'. I was able to casually make it one evening while watching TV. If you concentrated on it, you could get it done in 30 minutes.

The best part? It didn't cost me a penny!

Project List

- An adult necktie
- Needle & coordinating thread
- Scissors
- Velcro
- Seamstress measuring tape

Time: 30 minutes

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The Other Side of the World

2011-08-26T01:03:00.001-04:00

Image courtesy of MapQuest

When you were a little kid, playing in dirt, perhaps wrecking the lawn or garden by digging a hole.... you may have heard your parents say, 'If you dig that hole any deeper, you'll end up in China!'. I heard it.

I've stated before, my participation in Postcrossing and recently I received a card from Austrailia. From the senders home to mine, it travelled a whopping 18,268 km's. Wow. That flight would suck! Pardon me! But then it got me thinking... what would be the absolute farthest I could send a postcard? What is the absolute farthest point from where I am? Naturally, that would be the antipodal point on the earth. I know. I'm impressed with my use of 'antipodal' too! (Gheesh I hope I've used it correctly...)

Next came some searching (thanks Google) which brought me to Antipodes Map. It's a site just for that purpose! To see the other side of the world! Apparently, I would be floating out in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia! It gives you co-ordinates as well. You could even plug those into Google Earth for a more realistic view.

Thanks for indulging my nerdy-ness...but that brings the question... if you were to dig a hole straight through the earth, where would YOU end up?

Gumdrops & Spicedrops - Oh My...

2011-08-25T01:00:00.011-04:00

Lets make some gumdrops! I had no idea it was so easy to make them. I'm usually intimidated by candy recipes... but gumdrops require no special equipment, thermometers or unusual ingredients. So come follow along and make some candy with me!

Gumdrops / Spicedrops are delectable little gelatin based candies, normally coated in sugar. Spicedrops? What are they? Well let's start with gumdrops. Gumdrops would be the fruity flavoured ones such as cherry, orange, lemon, lime, grape etc. Spicedrops would be peppermint, spearmint, cinnamon, cardamon, clove, anise etc. Mmm... cardamon sounds lovely to me!

Here we go.

You'll need some coarse white sugar, food colouring, some flavoured extract, a loaf pan or something similar and some Knox gelatin. The gelatin was the only thing I had to pick up at the store. Everything else I had on hand.

As per the gelatin packet instructions, dissolve 1 packet into 1/4 cup of cold water for 5 minutes.

Transfer gelatin to a saucepan. Add 1/2 cups of boiling hot water and stir to dissolve the gelatin.

Add 2 cups of white granulated sugar.

Add any food colouring / flavouring you wish. I decided to do a blue-green colour. 3 drops blue, to 1 drop green. I also added 1 tsp of pure peppermint extract. So technically, mine are spicedrops!

Bring mixture to a low boil until sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture looks clear. About 15 minutes.

Poor into pan. Cover loosely with foil or plastic wrap and let the mixture chill in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

Cut, into cubes, roll into balls, or let them be blobs... whatever you like. I went with blobs. I think it looks more 'homemade' that way. If you want a more formed drop, see the 'Tips' section at the bottom of this post.

Roll the little gems in coarse, granulated sugar so they are completely coated.

Set them on a wax paper lined baking sheet. They will need to set out in the air for a couple days to crystallize and firm up into yummy gummies :) I set a piece of foil over top just to keep anything in the air from settling on them.

Yummy!

Think of all the awesome flavour combinations and think outside the box! How about orange + clove or cardamon + lemon? Or...wait for it.... chile + lime! Add the spice right to the gelatin mixture while it's cooking or to the sugar you are using to coat them. I think they would have to be called, 'Gourmetdrops'!

Ingredient Recap

2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
1 envelope Knox brand gelatin + 1/4 cup of cold water
Food colouring of choice
Pure flavouring extract of choice
White sugar to coat the drops, approx 1 cup or more.

Options for colouring and flavouring

Use one single serving packet of Crystal Lite drink mix in place of flavouring and colouring
Use 1 tbsp of Jell-O powder in place of flavouring and colouring
Use pure extracts and artificial colourings
You can use natural fruit juices, or frozen concentrate but you would need to adjust your water measurements accordingly.

Tips

When cutting into pieces, spray knife with non-stick cooking spray, wipe off excess.
If the gelatin mixture is sticking to the pan when you try to remove your pieces, set the pan in a shallow bath of hot water for a few seconds.
To get a more formed shape, let the gelatin set for 48 hours in the fridge instead of just 24 hours.
Store in a cool dry place. The container does not have to be air tight.

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Baby's 1st Birthday Prep: DIY Cake & Cupcake Stands

2011-08-24T06:01:00.002-04:00

As you may have seen, I recently posted about the teired tray I made for Fosters upcoming first birthday. We have until October, but I'm taking my time getting it all done and put together!

In addition to the tiered tray, I decided to make a small cake stand to put his little personal cake on (for the cake smash photos) and some little cupcake stands as well.

As before, I raided the thrift stores for items to build the stands. Dollar stores work too!

Crusty huh? They were dirt cheap. Stove burner element covers. I washed them up and ended up using the two smaller covers. I also found a terracotta pot hanging around my house that I decided to use as the base for this cake stand.

Using E6000 again as the adhesive, I glued the two small burner covers together so it would be stronger. It needed a little more height, so I added a mason jar lid in between the burner covers and the pot. Glued... set.

Puffy paint to the rescue!! I felt the cake stand was going to be a bit 'flat', so I decided to use some puffy paint to give some dimension by adding 'dots' around the top and bottom. I'm sorry, I neglected to get a photo at this stage! (bad blogger)

Using Krylon's Banner Red spray paint in gloss finish, this is what we get! This cost me all of about $3.00 to make. I loooove the red! It's the perfect shade. I used the same method for the cupcake stands....

Except these little lovelys got a coat of Krylon's Sun Yellow in gloss finish. The top of the cupcake stands are old coasters and the bases are a little tiny sauce dish and a little candle stick. I think they turned out sweet!

Have I mentioned how much I love spray paint!!?

Make It: Chalkboard Paint

2011-08-23T23:35:00.002-04:00

Yes you can. Chalkboard paint is ridiculously easy to make. The great thing about making it yourself is the array of colours you can make it in! Do a small project like a message board or go big and turn your kids play room into one big chalkboard! Ohhhhh... all the kids from the neighbourhood would surely be over if that were the case! Follow along for the recipe and some tips!

1 Cup of latex house paint or acrylic craft paint
1 TBSP of non-sanded tile grout

Mix together until there are no lumps.

Yes. That's it.

Paint your surface with the mixture. I advise using a small roller for a smoother finish. A brush will give you some textured ridges when it dries (I used a brush).

Let it dry completely.

Get some chalk. 'Sidewalk' chalk has great, vibrant colours. I wish I'd had some for the pics!

Draw! Yep. That easy.

And just in case you were wondering... clean up is no problem. I used a damp cloth and that was it.

I popped my chalkboard into an old frame I had. If you do a small project like I did, you could even paint the reverse side of the board in a different colour for days you want a change. I'm thinking.... sunny yellow for mine :)

Have fun!
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*Amendment*
If you find the chalkboard surface is too rough once dried, sand the surface lightly with a fine grit sand paper, then, using the side of a piece of chalk, rub it across the entire surface of the board. Wipe off the chalk afterwards. This can help give you a smoother surface.

Baby's 1st Birthday Prep: DIY Pinwheel toppers

2011-08-22T12:41:00.000-04:00

Foster will have a cake for his cake smash, a cake for us (hopefully) and cupcakes as well. I've seen these adorable cupcake pinwheel toppers around, but being the crafty type, I decided to make my own.

Pinwheels are super easy. I have done them before with felt, but never with paper! Want to know how? Read the full post for all the details.

These will be non-spinning pinwheels. I'll be using mine as cupcake toppers for my little guys first birthday party in October.

First up, pick your paper. I chose a few different colours and patterns of lighter weight scrapbooking paper. You could also use construction paper, wrapping paper or even magazine pages.

Cut your paper into squares, to the size you want your pinwheel to be. If you want a 4 inch wide pinwheel, cut 4x4 squares. 3 inch pinwheel, 3x3 squares and so on. If you go much smaller then 3 inches, it gets a little awkward to make the pinwheel but it is doable!

Find the centre of your square on the back of the paper and mark it.

From each corner, cut in towards the middle, leaving about a centimetre uncut before the centre.

I found it helpful to make holes for the brad to go through before folding the pinwheel. Note where the holes are. One in the same corner of each cut section and one in the middle of the square. This is where a mini hole punch would be super handy (noted for next trip to the craft supply store).

Take your brad and push it through the right side of the paper of one of the corners where you have premade a hole.

Keep folding over the corners and pushing the brad through each pre-peirced corner. Once you have the brad through all of the corners, push it down through the middle of the paper.

Fold the tabs of the brad over to secure the corners of the pinwheel.

Yay!

Since I am using mine as cupcake toppers, I needed a stick of some sort to attach them too! I chose these lollipop sticks but you could use popsicle sticks, or even bamboo skewers cut down to size.

A little dab of hot glue to secure the stick in place.

Now, if you want to be really particular like me... you can cut a small scrap of paper and glue it over the stick so it looks all neat and tidy.

Pretty pinwheels! Yes, they are sticking out of my sugar bowl! They wont be displayed in cupcakes until Foster's birthday party pictures are unveiled!

To be even more awesome, you can use double sided paper or glue paper together with a glue stick so you have a pretty pattern on the inside and outside of the pinwheel (this one is my favourite!).

You'll see more of these little lovelys in October :)

Gone Camping....

2011-08-19T12:20:00.000-04:00

See you next week!

Baby's 1st Birthday Party Prep: DIY Teired Trays

2011-08-17T11:30:00.001-04:00

Our son Foster's first birthday is approaching in a couple months... I can hardly believe it! Since life is hectic and there are always a bunch of things to do, I've decided to plan early and get things put together slowly over this next while. It also means, I get to share with you bits and pieces along the way! Of course, when the day comes, I'll share the whole shebang, all put together! Pinterest has absolutely been a great space to pin up all the idea's and such that are floating around the wild, wild, web, helping me get organized.

I wanted to make a lovely cupcake / cake stand for the big day. Foster's party is going to be somewhat of a non theme. Just bright and colourful, with pattern. We'll save the themed birthday parties for when he is older and has specific interests. A tiered tray was first on the list and it all began with a trip to the thrift store.

Some serving trays and brass candle sticks. I liked them because they had a nice weight, so once assembled into my tiered tray, it would be fairly stable. All five pieces were under $5.00 total. A lot of thrift stores have a half price day. That is your ideal time to get your supplies! Washed and dried :) They were nothing spectacular on their own, but together, they will be perfect.

I used E-6000 as the adhesive to assembled the trays. I glued the bottom tray with the candle stick on it and the middle teir with the candle stick on it first, then let them totally set and dry before adhering everything else together. So far, so good! Really, if you like the look you could just stop right here. But I kept going.

Picked up some Krylon, Blue Ocean Breeze in Gloss finish. Since this product works on metal, there was no need for spraying on a primer first.

Ta-Da! Lovely, blue tiered cupcake and cake stand! Of course I'll absolutely be able to use this again in the future for other social gatherings. The cool thing? The brass candle sticks I used actually unscrew into to pieces! So I am able to partially dismantle this thing to make storage a little easier.

It would look super pretty on a summer party table, filled with lemons, waiting to be turned into refreshing lemonaid.... or at a bridal or baby shower filled with delicious treats!

The whole thing cost around $7.50 to make. $5.00 for the trays and the candle sticks, I had the E-6000 adhesive on hand and I'm using the rest of the Krylon Blue Ocean spray paint for other projects... so I figure around $2.50 worth of that. Not bad! And it looks just like I wanted it too.

There are soooo many ways you can build your own tiered tray. If I had the room, I would have a ton of them in all different styles and themes. Gah! It's probably good I don't have the room.... lol.

P.S. If you are concerned about placing food directly on the spray painted surface, consider putting treats on them that have either their own wrapper (like a cupcake) or put a paper liner on the tray first. Wax paper or even a pretty decorative paper would work great and would help with cleanup.

DIY: Tank Top Tote in 5 Minutes

2011-08-12T01:43:00.000-04:00

Here is a quick little tutorial on how to make a tank top tote bag in less then 5 minutes. Seriously. It's that simple! For books, beach stuff or as a market bag, what a great way to upcycle some old tanks.

Read the full post for all the details!

Get some old tanks. Turn them inside out and lay them flat. Keep in mind your purpose for the bag. Jersey knit will be quite stretchy where as cotton will be stronger and more taut.

Cut the tank if you want a shorter tote. If you want a long one, leave it as is! There is no right or wrong here.

Pin the cut end together so it doesn't move around while you sew it up. I put some very basic, non perfect pleats in mine to make it a little more interesting.

Now, you can either just stitch straight and be done with it, or curve the stitch as shown in the image. The reason I curve the stitch line is so the bottom of the bag will be more rounded and a little more appealing to look at (in my opinion). But again, there is no right or wrong way. I would suggest stitching it twice to make sure it's nice and strong. Turn it inside right and your done! Fast huh?!

Pin on a flower, tie on a scarf or even an wrap an old vintage necklace around the handle for some fancy. I know, tank top tote = fancy? Crazy! But it can!

Go raid your closet!
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Apothecary-esk DIY

2011-08-11T20:40:00.003-04:00

Love those apothecary jars you see all over design magazines and shows? Don't love the price tag enough to buy your own? Think the one in the picture above is beautiful? I do too. I made it. It cost me a whopping $2.50.

Read the post for all the details and instructions!

Raid your local thrift stores and or dollar store for vases, bowls, jars and candlesticks. If you're really lucky, you'll find a jar with an existing lid! It's ok if it doesn't have a knob or handle on the top of the lid. We'll get to that. Wash all your pieces and thoroughly dry them.

E6000!!! It's the awesome glue that makes it possible! This adhesive will bond non porous surfaces to each other. Glass, metal, plastic etc. Awesome. I got mine at Michaels. Check their online flyers first, they usually have great coupons you can print. Apply the glue liberally to the candle stick, but not goopy. I usually let it sit for 5 minutes before attaching the pieces.

Set the vase or bowl part of your soon to be apothecary jar onto the glue coated candlestick. Look straight down from the top and make sure you are centred. Push the pieces together firmly. The glue will give you a little working time to get it right. Once you're satisfied, don't move it, just let it set up.

Well now.... wasn't that easy? This jar so happened to have a lid. Yay! But I have done others that I had to create a lid for. I've used tops of old candy dishes....

... the lids form those large candle filled jars, like this one. And then.... just add a knob.

I got this knob from the hardware store. I love the classic look of it! It works perfectly with the jar. Actually, I lucked out this week and found a multipack of knobs for pretty cheap!

Imagine these pretties all filled with colourful candy for a party, or filled with pretty soaps and bath salts in your bathroom. How about filling them with pretty shells or polished stones or holiday decorations? Gorgeous!

Update: My beautifully, newly created apothecary jar's life came to a tragic end shortly after these images were taken. I'm happy I got to document it's lovely but short life for you before it suddenly dove off my kitchen counter. The body is fine... the lid did not survive. I'm hoping to resurrect this beauty with new life and a new lid. Cross your fingers. *mumble... ugh... but it was soooooo perfect....sniff....mumble*
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I Made Felt & Fabric Flowers. Now What?

2011-08-10T22:46:00.003-04:00

I am still utterly addicted to crafting felt and fabric flowers. Gluing them onto things... pinning them onto things.... So I figured, maybe you would like to see ideas of some of the many applications for felt and fabric flowers just in case you too have a craft table that's... well... blooming. This is just a small sampling. The possibilities are endless! I mean really, if it's got a solid surface, you could put a flower on it.

...On a lampshade <3...

From, Pink and Polka Dot

...in baby's hair...
From, Adventures in Mommywood

...in your hair...
From, Craftaholics Anonymous

...dress up a simple purse...

From, Craftaholics Anonymous

...on a wreath...

From, Just Sew Sassy

...as a gift topper...
From, Blue Cricket Design

...as a sweet bouquet...

From, Creative Jewish Mom

...dress up simple shoes...
From, Craft Snob

...adorn a sweater or dress...
From, Bubsies Boutique

...on a ring...
From, V and Co.

...add appeal to your chapeau...
Image from, BeautyCent

...dress up a necklace...
From, Daintily Design

...make a pillow pretty...

From, SaltTree

If you have any additional creative applications for felt and fabric flowers, leave a comment. I'd love to hear them!

The Sushi Experiment

2011-08-08T11:25:00.001-04:00

My friend Eryn has a severe allergy to shell fish. Naturally she is very careful when she goes out to eat at restaurants, avoids buffets and places that serve a lot of shell fish. Because of this, she has never had sushi. The tragedy! So naturally, we decided to try our hands at making our own, shell fish free sushi and got started on the grocery list.

Simple was the theme seeing as though it was our first time making it. I found the sheets of nori (seaweed), the sticky rice, bought a jar of pickled ginger and a tube of prepared wasabi. To add to the experience, I found some miso soup too. Yum! I was able to find everything in the international food aisle of my local grocery store. Next stop, Eryn's place.

We cup up our toppings into thin strips, or we shredded it. We had carrot, avocado, cucumber prosciutto, and some goat cheese. Make sure you follow the instructions for your rice. Sticky rice (or glutenous rice) will turn into a pot of glue if you don't rinse it well before cooking. Let's just say I learned that lesson years ago and pretty much destroyed a saucepan. We added some rice vinegar to season the rice and then let it cool. So far, everything was on track!

A bamboo rolling mat is a must have. Eryn got this one at her local grocery store. Wrap it in plastic wrap or everything will stick to it. I lay down the sheet of nori next and spread the rice onto it. Tip; keep a glass of cold water handy and dip your fingers in it before you handle the rice otherwise you'll end up with rice fingers! Next we put in the filling.

It was time... it was now or never. Grab the mat, roll it over and squeeze, roll and squeeze so the mixture is nice and packed, roll all the way to the end, let go... look in disbelieve at the ease of it all... then celebrate!!! Yay! Who knew it was so simple!

Tip; when you cut the roll into pieces, make sure your knife is clean and sharp. It may get sticky between cuts, so keep a damp cloth handy to wipe it off periodically.

It was so much easier then either of us thought it would be! I will absolutely be making sushi again and again. And of course, I was happy that Eryn enjoyed it too! My favourite combination was prosciutto with avocado and goat cheese.

One thing about sushi, it's surprisingly filling. Time to take Eryn's boys for a walk and work off some dinner!

Once we worked off some dinner, we promptly filled that space back up with some chocolate frozen yogurt and a peanut butter haystack. Okay, so dessert wasn't very Japanese, but it was delicious!

If you like sushi but have never made it yourself, give it a try. You'll be surprised at how easy it is!

Shopping List

Sticky / sweet glutenous rice
Rice vinegar
Nori (seaweed wraps)
Bamboo mat
Filling (whatever you wish!)
Pickled ginger, wasabi, light soy sauce for garnish and dipping (optional)

Pinterest. I'm In.

2011-08-05T00:09:00.000-04:00

We'll finish off this week of websites by checking out Pinterest. I'd heard about it before, but never really explored it to it's full potential until recently. I'm not even sure I have fully explored it or that I ever could! The sheer amount of images pinned makes it a gold mine of inspiration. You could spend hours looking through amazing images without even noticing the time ticking away.

For those of you that don't know what it's about, Pinterest is like a virtual bulletin board. It's a great space to collect images you love online, organize them into groups and share them, while maintaining the original source of the image. Yes, source credit is maintained. I love that! Especially for blogging. I can't even tell you how many images I have saved on my hard drive for inspiration but I have no idea where I got them from. And because of that, they will probably never get used on my blog. From now on, I wont have that problem!

Follow other pinners and be followed by others who like your pins. Put together images for a specific project like decorating a room in your home, or for an event such as a wedding or baby's first birthday. It's a great way to keep all that inspiration in one place without having to tear pages from magazines, or save random images to your hard drive. It's all right there. Brilliant!

Go on, head over to Pinterest and request an invite to join. You'll quickly receive an invite via email, do the sign up thing and then you can start pinning. You can also link it to Facebook and Twitter.

For those of you with an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, get the Pinterest App free from iTunes, so you can pin on the go.

Get pinning!

Scrapbooking Supplies from Two Peas in a Bucket

2011-08-04T01:00:00.001-04:00

I thought I would post about Two Peas in a Bucket in case some of you have never heard of it before. Like scrapbooking and the likes? Two Peas has an abundant supply of paper, images, stamps and anything else scrapbook related that you can think of.

The cool part is, they always have backgrounds and fonts you can download for free! However, do look further then just the freebies! There is a TON of stuff to chose from and so much of it is priced very well.

Click on Digital -> Digital Shopping, to get the free fonts and free downloadable digi kits. Have fun!

Pick Your Plum

2011-08-03T11:48:00.002-04:00

Pick Your Plum is a cool website you crafters out there will appreciate! Shipping to Canada and the United States, Pick Your Plum posts one awesome craft product a day at a steal of a deal. It's there until either the end of the day or until it's sold out. Whatever comes first!

So head on over to Pick Your Plum and do as they say, 'get it before your neighbour does'.

Inge Löök's Old Ladies

2011-07-26T00:01:00.001-04:00

~ My first Inge Löök postcard ~

I got my very first Inge Löök postcard from Finland! For those who don't already know, I participate in Postcrossing and have for a few months now. Finland seems to have some really fun illustrated postcards available that you can't easily buy in Canada. Inge Löök does these cards of two old ladies out and about on crazy adventures. I was sooo excited when I saw a glimpse of it in my mailbox!

I hope to receive more in the future so I can make a lovely grouping and put them up on my wall. Thanks so much Riita from Finland! You made my day :)

Garage Sale, Three Years in the Making

2011-07-25T00:07:00.000-04:00

Yes. Three years. And it finally happened. What a huge job it was to prepare this monster of a garage sale! Thankfully, we had help (as you can see).

Sorry folks, the box on the left is priceless ;) As for the pic on the right, just the tip of the iceberg, oh my! At this point I was ok, but the room filled up more and by that point, I could barely stand to look at all the 'stuff' clogging up my house! I'm not a clutter person or a knick-knack collector, so 'things' everywhere drive me bonkers in my own home. I was so stressed I felt like running from the house screaming... this doesn't even include all the stuff in our garage!

We wrapped the garage sale signs I made up in saran because there was a chance of rain, had a giant party tent hanging around to cover the driveway and lend some shade (see? I don't know where half of this stuff comes from!). Borrowed folding tables from my in-laws, set the coffee maker to start perking in the morning and set the alarm clock for an ungodly hour. I couldn't even take an in focus picture of my cup of coffee in the morning! Even old Shadow the cat was wondering what we were all doing at such an hour.

Setup took quite a while... almost 1.5 hours on it's own. We had a crazy amount of stuff! So much, that people were asking if we were moving! Ouch.

Remember this guy? Yes, all my barbies, barbie clothes and all their teeny tiny accessories went in the sale. But hey, Ken, your smile is still just as pearly white as it ever was.

Customers! We had a lot of people! Thankfully that means we moved out quite a lot of stuff. I haven't participated in a garage sale since I was a kid. I forgot how crazy cheap some people are! The nice part was we got to meet quite a few more of our neighbours that live around the corner from us. We're lucky, we really do have pretty great neighbours all around!

After we were done, we put the remaining stuff at the end of the front lawn by the street with a sign saying 'FREE', minus a couple things that will go onto Kijiji. Whatever is left from that will go to goodwill. Anywhere but back inside the house lol.

After cleanup, time for some BBQ! My husband manned the grill to serve up some yumminess for all of us, including some family that dropped by for the evening. Well deserved I'd say!

The day ended with a bunch of tired adults, one tired baby and two pooped puppies. Overall, a long, but great day!

Tips for a successful garage sale:

Make legible signs from poster board in bright colours with the print in a contrasting colour. All of your signs should be the same colour! Make sure the text is BIG
Detailed signs should be on the main road. Put smaller signs with an arrow along the way to reassure your shoppers they are on the right path to your house
If there is a chance of rain, wrap your sign in saran wrap so it doesn't fall apart / ink wont run
Advertise! You can post ads on Kijiji and Craigs list and some local news papers for free. Take advantage of it and be detailed as to what you are selling. Include photos if you can.
Have change. Make sure you have some small bills and coins ready to make change for people.
Be courteous! Smile and say hello and goodbye. It will go a long way!

To Dye For Lamp Shades

2011-07-22T18:08:00.000-04:00

So I'm on a dying binge. This happens. I go through phases of crafty and creative endeavours in cycles. They always come back around. Right now, it's fabric dye.

I did the pillow cases for my sofa throw cushions recently. They turned out a lovely purple :) Then I started looking around the house... what do I hate, but don't care to spend money replacing right now? It's like spray painting. You see something old, you spray it, it feels like new. Well my eyes went to my ugly light fixture in our sitting room. It came with the house when we moved in and four years later it's still there!

It's a chandelier type thing with five dingy mini fabric shades on it. After a quick cleaning to remove some dust, they were ready to go. By the way, if you want to clean your lamp shades, put them in a bag with rice or coarse salt and shake. It pulls off the dust.

This was definitely going to be an outside project. Of course, I had to pick a sweltering hot day to do it on. C'est la vie! I chose Rit Dye in teal (powder form), and I used about a Tbsp of navy blue (liquid).

Filled my really big pot with super hot water and added the dye. Stirred it up with an old stick and dunked my first shade! Oh and of course, rubber gloves were ON.

Hung to dry on the clothesline... blowing like pretty little blue bells in the breeze. Aren't they lovely? I dipped them for about fifteen minutes each as I wasn't sure how they would hold up in the hot dye bath, but they did great!

Awesomeness! They are not perfectly, evenly dyed, but that's ok. I think it adds a little charm to it. I find it's harder to get a perfectly even dye when doing the 'dip' method. None the less, I'm very pleased!

Love!!!

Sooo much going on...

2011-07-22T00:31:00.002-04:00

My brain is on overload as there is so much going on right now in general, in life, at this time of year... so that's why posting has been a little erratic lately. Hang in there with me. I've got some stuff coming shortly!

We've got this huge garage sale we've been working towards for a long time. I'm talking years. As in, oh darn... we've run out of weekends to do the yard sale this year... and oh... there is too much to deal with because we're getting married this year...and oh it's too hot and I'm big pregnant, we'll do it next year... and oh... yeah, you get it! Once it's all over and things get back to 'normal', my head will be able to focus more.

Thanks for sticking with me!

DIY Fabric Dying

2011-07-18T22:30:00.003-04:00

Whether it's faded black clothes or other drab linens, fabric dying at home in your own top loading washing machine is a great way to add some new life to old material. Bed sheets, curtains, pillow cases, tote bags, clothes, shoes, you name it. If it's fabric you can probably dye it. My mom used to do our clothes all the time. It was like getting a whole new wardrobe!

What? You've never tried?? It's soooo easy! As long as you know a few tips and tricks.

Click on the post for complete instructions!

First, chose fabrics that are cotton or some other natural fiber or blend. Man made fibers will not hold the dye as well. I'm going to work with some old cotton pillow cases from some throw cushions. They are kind of bleh.

Make sure to wash your fabric with a little detergent, but do not use fabric softener. Do not dry the fabric before dying.

Get out your dye! I chose a rich purple. You can usually find Rit powdered dye at the grocery store or drug store around where the shoe polish is. I found liquid Rit dye at Michaels craft store. If you check the Michaels website, they almost always have a 40% off coupon you can print and use.

A few things to keep in mind; if you want the colour to be very intense, you may want to use two boxes of powder, or just use the liquid (it's more intense). Especially if you are dying black. Also, if you are dying your fabric a totally different colour then it is originally, be prepared for it to not turn out the exact colour of the dye. I'm using purple dye on grey, dark blue, green and tan fabric. I'm expecting them to turn out anywhere from purple to varying browns and I'm not even sure if the green will take as I think the pattern is screen printed on, but we'll see! To get the colour on the box or bottle, use fabric that is close to the same colour to begin with or white. In reality though, it's always a bit of a guess as to what the final outcome will be, so you need to be ok with that.

Here comes the dying part!

Using a super hot wash and medium fill wash, add the dye to the washing machine. If you use a full fill wash, the dye bath will be less concentrated. If you are using powder, be careful and open it over the washer... as the powder will be super messy if it gets on things! Close the lid of the washer, let it completely fill and agitate for a few seconds to make sure the dye is all mixed up.

Stop the washer, open the lid ... and proceed to the next step. It already looks like an awesome colour and I don't even have the pillow cases in yet!

Key point! Make sure the fabric is still wet when you put it into the dye bath. It needs to be wet so the dye will absorb evenly. Dry fabric will give you blotchy results!

The longer the agitation cycle, the richer the colour. If you want the colour to be very intense, before the washer starts to drain and rinse, set it back to go through the agitation cycle again and let it go through completion (rinse, spin etc). Make sure the final rinse cycle is cold.

If you have used a dark colour dye, you may want to do an extra rinse and add 1/2 cup white vinegar to the rinse cycle. Vinegar will help set the colour, keep it from running and act as a bit of a natural fabric softener. The fabric will not smell like vinegar afterwards, I promise! Hang or lay your fabric to dry.

Run a quick empty wash cycle through your machine with some detergent just to make sure there is no dye remaining in the tub. You may also need to wipe down the inside of the lid and top of the wash basin. I find the powder is messier then the liquid in this regard. If you clean up properly, no one will ever know you dyed fabric in the machine.

Here are my results!

I think they turned out great! I have to say, I am impressed with how vibrant the colour turned out (the photo doesn't do it total justice!) New life to some old pillows for only a couple dollars.

Rit also has a neat colour formula guide you can access on their website to help you create or mix that perfect shade. They also have some further dying techniques if you are interested.

Look out Ikea sofa slipcover.... I'm coming for you next!

Baby Fingerpainting

2011-07-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

Wednesday's fun was; finger painting with my little guy Foster! I had a sturdy wood 'canvas', tempera paints ready for my little man, throw in some toys and a basting brush... have the pool filled and ready for the aftermath and away we went!

He did pretty good with it until he decided to taste the paint. He didn't like the taste that's for sure! After a little upset moment... he got back into it.

He conked out for a pretty good nap after all the excitement! The final missing piece to this work of art.... I'm going to add his hand or foot print in a contrasting colour. Just had to wait for the masterpiece to dry first! I'll have to post a pic of it when it's all done, framed and hung up in our home.

You can also do this with a piece of paper secured to the highchair tray for something of a smaller scale, which we might do next time!

Easy Decor Update

2011-07-08T11:53:00.002-04:00

I have these teapots displayed in my kitchen in these simple display boxes that my dad made for me years ago, against the perfect grey wall (I think it's perfect!). I'd almost bet you have similar boxes in your own home too. In my efforts to interject some more colour around the house (baby toys do not count), I thought I'd do a quick update. Off to the craft store!

Pretty paper, CHECK! 49 cents a sheet, can't go wrong. Wrapping paper would work too. I cut out some cardboard the same shape as the openings of my display boxes (used empty cereal boxes), wrapped them with the paper, popped them into the openings and voila!

Since the paper wrapped cardboard is not permanently attached to the display boxes, I can easily take them out and wrap them in a different paper if I want a change.

Kind of addictive... now I've got my eye on the bookshelf in my bedroom....

Take a look around, you might have something you can pretty up in your own home in just a few minutes like I did!

Cheers :)