Wreaths and Stenciled bibs- new additions...

These are some of the newer projects I have finished. Newspaper ($5) and Ribbon wreaths ($ 10) and stenciled bibs ($3.50 each or 2/$6)

I'll be in 2 craft shows coming up- Asbury United Methodist Winter Sale, Sat Dec. 3 9-3 on Winchester Pike.. and a Ladies Christmas event at Sycamore Creek Church on the 9th. I have been trying to use my Silhouette to make more items. As always, these are great things to give as a gift. Can't believe Christmas is only 31 days away! I'm not feeling too stressed out this year. My girls are so little, they are happy with anything they get. Most of our extended family isn't doing gifts this year, and I'm always on the look out for cute/ cheap things all through the year. I have a nice little stash in the basement! Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving. We are blessed beyond measure!! Just living in America gives you that status! All our material goods is just icing on the (really big!) cake! I hope that I can help pass on the blessings that I receive to others in need. If you're in the market for some baby/ children items or wreaths for the home- stop by next Sat. and see me at Apple of my Eye Accessories!! or you can always message/ comment for purchasing online.

Olivia's 1st birthday decorations

Painted the girls feet ( ages 1 and 3 now) and made them look like butterflies and wrote scripture on the canvas.

Hungry Caterpillar headbands- made with hot glue, felt and pom-poms

Made a stencil ( with my Silhouette and freezer paper), and a little paint. Voila! Instant theme-y birthday shirt:)

Balloons taped up to be the caterpillar

Lollipop bouquet- foam blocks and dum dums from dollar store, pretty easy project, and looks so cute!

Couldn't resist showing off some of my decorations from my daughter's 1st birthday party last weekend. Obviously, the Very Hungry Caterpillar was the theme. I found most of my ideas online- namely Pinterest!:) ( See? Honey, it does have a point!!) We had a great time with family. Livi had a ball with her new toys and books and of course the food!

How to make a freezer paper stencil ...

 I'm going to show you how to make a stencil to paint with out of freezer paper! You can find this in your typical grocery store bag/ food storage aisle. I learned from some other DIY sites, but I added a couple tips that I have found useful for the first timer! Ok, here we go...

Step 1: Cut out a pattern on freezer paper- I did mine on my new Silhouette, but you could probably use a Cricut ( never tried it though..) or trace by hand, shiny side down, and here's a little tip- don't try to cram in too much stuff! I did and it was hard to get the negative spaces off that you want to use for the stencil. This is a picture of the paper after I picked off my "stencil"..

Step 2: Iron on the shiny side to whatever you're making- another tip,  make sure you have enough room around the edges to paint. A few of mine were narrow, and therefore tricky to paint neatly.

Dab on with paint generously, I used a permanent acrylic paint with a foam brush, but I have seen it used with a sponge too.. Whatever works for you. Leave it on for a half hr or so.  For the pink bib, I layered the other part of the cake on top of the brown after it was semi- dry to add some detail/ color. Peel off carefully.

Ta Da! Finished product! Pretty cute and fun to do for an afternoon when you're feeling crafty! These among many more will be for sale soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Items

Well unfortunately I did not get to participate in the Homespun Craft Show. My grandma passed away last week, and I had to pull out of the show. I'm hoping to find one more to enter before Christmas. Here's some of the new items I've been working on.

Children's activity bags- fits a coloring book ( and other things) inside and crayons in the individual slots on the front of the bag. $10 each

                                             Women's aprons (from a men's work shirt!) $12 each

GCA Homespun Craft Show!!

I just got confirmation that I'm entered in the Genoa Christian Academy Homespun Craft Show! It's next weekend!!  Sat. Oct. 22, 2011 at 7562 Lewis Center Rd. Westerville, OH. I haven't done this show before, so I can't really tell you much more, other than COME!! You can find some great, unique homemade crafts for you, and gifts for others. Christmas is right around the corner;) Well, seeing how Oct 22 is creeping up closer and closer- I gotta go and get crafty! Any ideas of new things I come be making maybe for next show? I'm anxiously awaiting a Silhouette SD machine at my door any day now! An early birthday present from my sweet husband:) There's a lot of new possibilities with that as well.

Tutorials I've found along the way

I wanted to put a couple great new FREE tutorials that I have found via Pinterest! Hope that they help you out and inspire you to be crafty in this lovely, crisp fall weather. You know, Christmas is right around the corner. Home made gifts are great to give to show some extra thought, as well as a less expensive route when you have a long list of gifts to buy...  Enjoy!

Better Homes and Gardens, How to make fabric flowers, and cheap ways to redecorate you bedrooms- http://www.bhg.com/decorating/room/bedroom/easy-bedroom-decor-ideas/?sssdmh=dm17.538314&esrc=nwcu071911&email=3436673554#page=8

 Here's a different kind of fabric flower- http://boutiquenutmegdesigns.blogspot.com/2008/07/fabric-flower-tutorial.html

Sewing tips- http://sew4home.com

Pinwheel and more bows- http://makebowsandmore.blogspot.com

Hair clips- http://www.hipgirlclips.com/store/index.php?main_page=document_general_info&cPath=31_885&products_id=11695

Make baby things, such as a baby sling! ( I'm going to have to try that soon!) http://www.make-baby-stuff.com

Well, it's quiet around here (nap time!) so I'm going to try and get some cleaning and/ or crafting done. I have a show coming up in a few weeks! Tell you more about it next time - (after I get the official word that I'm in)

Pinterest!!

I have become a new user - and fan- of Pinterest. Have you heard of it? It is great to use to organize almost anything (in pictures) that you see online and want to remember. I have a bunch of recipes, craft ideas, cute posters and things that just make you say "Hey,  I want to try that.." I will try to link you to a few cute, crafty ideas that I find along the way. There are so many tutorials and so little time!