Category: Tutorials

While out searching for a great apple crumb pie recipe, I came across this cute idea for cupcakes. The original recipe was to use red in the middle for Valentine’s Day, but these were made green for St Patty’s day. This would be cute for that too since it’s just around the corner. Me thinks I may have to make these and have the leprechauns leave them behind while the girls are sleeping.

I also thought this would make a cute idea for announcing a new baby’s gender. I never came up with any creative ways to spread the word since our family was so spread out, but this would be fun. You can make white cupcakes with a neutral colored icing, like green, yellow or white. Then on the inside they can be blue or pink. It would be fun for a baby shower too. Then when you hand out the cupcakes, the person will know of a baby boy or girl is on the way.

To make the two toned cupcakes, use white cake mix to put into the cupcake liners. Save some of the batter and dye it with food coloring. Place the remaining batter in a pastry bag or  into a plastic bag. Clip the corner of the plastic bag to allow the batter to come out. Push the tip of the bag into the center of each cupcake and squeeze a couple of tablespoons into the center of the white batter. Bake as usual.

As another option, you can bake the cupcakes first and dye icing to go into the middle. It makes a yummy treat inside the cupcake. I do this from time to time and it’s always a hit with the girls. To do this option, bake the cupcakes as usual. Once they are cooled, place the dyed icing into a pastry bag. Press the tip into the top of the cupcake and squeeze in the icing. Ice the cupcake with neutral colored icing.

Enjoy!

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I tried glass etching for the first time. A friend of mine had a birthday and I made her this vase. I got the idea from a cute vase my sister made me for Christmas. I cut my own stencils out of clear contact paper and used Armour Etch. I was tickled with the way it turned out. I love being able to personalize a gift.

Next, I’m going to etch a teacher gift. I hope it turns out as well.

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I got on a kick before Christmas about painting little people for my niece. She loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Curious George. So after searching the web for inspiration for painting these little little dolls, I decided to just paint what she already loves. I also made some to resemble her family.

On Christmas I was so excited to give them to her. I forgot that I didn’t take any pictures of them before wrapping them up, so I put them on the floor to take some pictures. She kept trying to pick them up and play with them during the photo shoot. I’m glad she loves them so much.

I found the wooden dolls at Michael’s and used acrylic paint on them. I then coated them with a clear coat of non toxic stuff to make them shiny.

The wooden pegs start off life looking like this. They have different shapes available with more of a flared bottom for the female. They are all just under 2 inches in size, so be careful about making them for little ones who may try to put them in their mouth.

Here’s the finished product. Melissa was kind enough to send me a picture of them all together since I was having difficulty on Christmas! I first made my BIL too light and then too dark. Maybe one day I’ll try again. They are expanding their family in the next few weeks, so I’ll have to add a new baby to the peg family anyway. I was also going to add something like a pompom to give Mickey and Minnie ears that stand up, but I didn’t want them to accidentally come off and become choking hazards.

Here are the ones I tried to get…complete with little hands playing with them.

Now I need to get busy painting some more for the little girls in our house.

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Last year for Christmas I made several gifts for family and friends. I loved this tile coaster idea. Thanks Melissa for sharing with me! I made these for friends of mine and for some teacher gifts, but I used their last initial and last name. After some trial and error on Melissa’s part, I used smooth tiles and Staz-On ink. It worked great. I also used he self adhesive felt on the bottom to keep them from scratching furniture. I love that they absorb the condensation from the glasses too.

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We don’t have much in the way of Valentine’s Day decorations around here. I saw this idea in a magazine I read while I was recovering from surgery. I caught up on many magazines during those two weeks!

During nap time today, I whipped up this faux topiary. I cut hearts out of felt and used pins to attach them to a Styrofoam ball.

Then I stuck the ball on a dowel and into some Styrofoam in the little pail I found. I added a few rocks to the pail for added weight. Then I cut strips of paper and curled them to fill the rest of the pail.

Finally, a few ribbons finished the topiary.

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

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“In the sheltered simplicity of the first days after a baby is born, one sees again the magical closed circle, the miraculous sense of two people existing only for each other.”

-Anne Morrow Lindbergh

I decided to try my hand at a homemade Christmas gift for my sister. I got the idea to make some marble magnets from my friend, Jamie. I was happy with the way they turned out and they were super easy. I used photos of my sister’s family and names. You can also use small pictures or words cut out of magazines.

What you will need:

• Photos or magazine cutouts
• 3/4 inch magnets-I found them at Walmart and Michael’s
• Silicone Sealer-got it at Michael’s; It has quite a strong smell, so use it with caution
• Floral marbles that are flat on one side
• Thin grosgrain ribbon-optional

Directions:

1. Cut out your photos or magazine pictures, making sure they are 3/4″ around and fit well in the visual space of the marble. I learned that it’s best to make the image pretty small because it will appear bigger after you apply the silicone sealer. So you may want to do a couple of practice magnets before using an image that would be difficult to replace.

2. Break open the packages of marbles and magnets.

3. Place a small drop of the silicone sealer on the magnet and smash the photo onto the magnet.

4. Place a small drop of silicone sealer on the photo and smash the marble on the photo.

5. Let it dry.

6. As an option, you can add a small piece of ribbon around the magnet so you can’t see where the marble meets the magnet. I like to use Fabri-Tac glue for the ribbon.

7. Stick them on the fridge and enjoy!

8. If you want to give them a gift I found that gift card tins work great!

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“Before we can leave our parents, they stuff our heads like the suitcases which they jam-pack with homemade underwear.”

-Maxine Hong Kingston

While I was sitting at the doctor’s office yesterday, I picked up a Family Fun magazine and flipped through it.

That’s when I found this idea.

Button Bookmarks!

I now have another use for my neverending supply of ribbon and a new reason to love buttons.

If you would like to make a button bookmark:

• Simply cut lengths of ribbon-12 to 14 inches long, to fit a standard-size hardcover book is a great length
• Attach buttons to the ends using tacky glue or a glue gun. Shown in the photo are just a few of the decorating options: sandwiching the ribbon’s ends between two buttons; stacking smaller atop larger buttons; and grouping several small buttons in a pattern.

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There once was a young lady who lived in a house. She had so many hair bows-even one for the mouse.
Okay, it’s not that extreme, but with three girls, we have hair bows all over the house. It has gotten quite out of hand, I must admit.

As part of my new organized life, I decided to fix the hair bow situation. For some reason-let’s be honest here…I’m lazy-the hair bow storage container lives in the family room. We take the girls hair down just before they get in the tub at night, so there is a large collection on the counter also. We also find bows, rubber bands, etc in all sorts of odd places around the house and car. Not anymore. Today the hair bows have a new home. I went to Walmart this morning to get the supplies and this is what I now have behind the girls’ bathroom door:

I am loving the new storage solution. It was so easy! Now I’ll show you how I made it so you can make your own too.

The project took me just under an hour from start to finish.

First gather your supplies.

You will need:

• One painting canvas-I used the kind stretched on a wood frame-16×20 inch, but you can use any size you wish
• Acrylic paint-I used Valentine Pink
• A foam brush-they are cheap and work great for this project
• Ribbon-different colors, sizes, styles-you decide! I used these colors of grosgrain to match the shower curtain in the bathroom. You can use any colors to fit any room or style you wish.
• Glue-I love Beacon Adhesives Fabri-Tac
• Scissors

I have later learned that instead of using glue, staples work just as well! So you can staple the ribbon to the back of the canvas. It’s a quicker and easier way to finish this project.

Paint the canvas and let it dry. I just did one coat so that it would dry fast. Make sure you paint the sides of the canvas also.

While the canvas is drying, start cutting your ribbons. It’s easiest if you measure one and use it as a template to cut the rest. I like using different widths of ribbons because I think it’s easier to slide/snap smaller bows and barrettes on the narrower ribbons. When measuring ribbon, be sure that it’s long enough to glue on the back of the canvas frame. When the canvas is dry place your ribbons on it to see how they look and make adjustments as necessary.

Start gluing your ribbon down. I started with the center ribbon and worked my way out to the edges. Take off the loose ribbon, keeping it in the same order you had previously. Flip the canvas over and slide the middle ribbon into place under the canvas. If the ribbon is decorated with striped, polka dots, etc-make sure it’s facing the correct way. Place glue on the strips of ribbon that are sticking out past the canvas. Hold them down for a minute until the glue starts to hold. This glue starts to dry fast and sticks very well. I glue the end away from me first and then stand the canvas up so I can make sure the ribbon is aligned the way I want. Then I put it back down and glue the other end in place. Continue glueng each ribbon the same way. Be sure to only put glue at the top and bottom of the ribbon, not in the middle.

Half way done!

Here’s what it will look like when all ribbons are glued in place.

It’s ready for the bows.

This hair bow holder works well with alligator clips, barrettes and snap clips. You can also slide headbands in place.

I hope this tutorial was easy to follow and you enjoy your new hair bow organization as much as I do! If you have questions or my directions are not clear, please let me know.

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Our girls love a great doll house. One for Disney Princesses, one for Polly Pocket, one for the little Wizard of Oz dolls Mommy keeps making them collect from McDonald’s, etc. I went looking for an idea of how to make more dollhouses and be able to customize them. That’s when I found this idea from Cookie Magazine. I will be heading out to find some foam board. This looks like a fun project! It’s portable too!

Directions:

1. Start with a piece of 20″x30″ foam core board (a standard size at art-supply stores), and using a box cutter and a T-square or yardstick, cut 10 inches off of the longer end to make a 20″x20″ square.
2. Cut the board horizontally right across the middle to create two 10″x20″ rectangles.
3. Measure 10 inches across the bottom of one rectangle, and cut a notch 1/4-inch wide and 2 inches tall. At the top of the second rectangle, make a notch the same size.
4. At the bottom of both rectangles, measure 4 1/2 inches from both ends, and cut doorways 2 inches wide and 5 inches tall.
5. Slide the notches into each other to form the x-shaped house.

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It’s summer so that means it’s time for fun flip flops on your feet! I got this idea from Michaels.com They are quick and easy to make and you can really get creative with these. This would be a fun girls party idea too.

Materials Needed

• Flip Flops
• Crafting boa ( you can get them at craft stores and craft sections of stores like Walmart and Target)
• Glue gun
• Glue sticks
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Carefully poke one end of boa onto sole where the strap attaches.
2. Hot glue boa across strap leaving short tail to poke into sole on the other side to finish.

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