Easy Homemade Valentine

Since we are going to be moving around Valentine's day I decided to get an early start on some treats for the girls to hand out to their friends.

These are so simple to make! Just wrap a toilet paper roll in some nice paper, stuff it with some candy, wrap it in cellophane and tie both ends with ribbon. Add a cute little tag and your done!

 

Are you making homemade Valentines this year? 

If you need another idea check out the cute ones we made last year.

Happy Thursday!

Love me a good Kerr Jar

 I am naturally drawn to the Kerr jar. 

Funny enough when you are on the lookout for something it is usually hard to find. 

As for purchasing them at a store my mom was able to buy me a couple at Micheals but they were quite pricey. However, recently I have totally lucked out! I was able to get a few at Value Village (small ones for .25 cents each and large ones for .50 cents) as well as a couple from a garage sale facebook page. I was so happy.

 I've been able to use a couple around the house holding things such as sharpies and my makeup brushes.

I have three of them around my kitchen and living room  filled with coffee beans and a tealight.

 And I was finally able to do this DIY where you make your own soap dispenser!

A couple of them had Kerr written into the metal of the lid. I'm still trying to think what I could use these for. I think it's pretty neat.

Do you have any favorite jar DIY's if so, share them with me. I still have a couple left waiting to be used.

Happy Monday!

Connect-a-sticks

Another super easy kids craft for you today. 

Found this idea via pinterest at Tot Treasures, so you can thank Morgan for this easy DIY.

All you need is popsicle sticks and self adhesive velcro dots! I found both at the dollar store.

It's as easy as sticking the dots on either end of the stick (some we did both sides and some not). You would probably prefer to do opposite textures on one side, but because S was doing most of it I just let her do whatever.

 S really enjoyed sticking on the velcro dots and T enjoyed making a mess and tasting the sticks.

Once all the dots were on S got busy connecting the sticks all together.

Since making these the girls have pulled them out quite a bit. I have been showing S how to make different letters and T likes to pile them together and rip them apart (I often think she is ripping pages out of a book when I hear them and always have to run and check on what she is doing).

Happy Friday!

linking to:
We Made That

Bookshelf Bookmark (Free Printable)

 

 When I saw this idea and free printable over at Handmade Hezzahvife, I thought it was a perfect idea to help me with my new years goal of reading more. Thanks Heather! I already keep a reading journal (Nerd alert!) but I thought this would be a great visual reminder of what my list was looking like for the year. 

As you finish a book you simply write it in along the spine of one of the books on the shelf.

I just finished The Hobbit so I already wrote one in, yay!

This project couldn't be easier! Simply go over and get the free printable. Print it on cardstock and cut out. At this point you can either use as is or adhere to some pretty scrapbook paper (which is what I did). I also punched a hole at the top and added some ribbon.

And for those real keeners, the printable comes with a book shelf for the back as well. 

I'm not sure I'll get there but I figured dream big, haha.

Well one down, let's see how full my bookshelf will get!

P.S. Heather also made a super cute Viking plush, check it out if you're interested!

linked to:
Sugar and Dots

insta-pics #42

Nope, last week wasn't skipped or late. New year, new plan. I've decided to do insta-pics every two weeks instead of every week. A little easier for me to keep up with, both picture wise and post wise. So here we go.

1. Kisses. She keeps saying 'Mommy I love you so much!', melts my heart.
2. Last week made homemade french onion soup and homemade french bread.
3. S had a couple friends over and they made their own pizza's. Here they are watching the pizzas cook.
4. Tried out these easy cinnamon bun waffles.
5. Baby girl eating snacks and looking cute.
6. Tuesday night enjoying some pork gyozas in my PJs watching Ben and Kate.
7. Took the girls swimming.
8. Went to the city with hubby to pick up cabinets for the new house! Made a quick stop at the mall for shopping, supper and second cup.
9. Had some luck in the jewelery section of Forever 21. 

Happy Sunday!

Splash of Salmon

Well I've started with my new year motto of 'embrace color'... a bright salmon hanging for the wall. 

Check out the before and after below.

 I got the hanging at a garage sale for $2. I definitely had the idea to re-vamp it!

I took the rope off, painted two coats of the salmon color and used carbon paper to trace the letters on which I then painted white. A little bit of sand paper work to distress it a bit and it's a whole new sign.

I am glad I have this pop of color on the mantel and I am looking forward to hanging it in our new house. 

The only thing that bugs me now is the grammar...err, I realized after all the painting of the words that both 'everyday's should have been 'every day'. Two seperate words!!! Oh well I guess you can't win em all!

Happy Friday!

linking to:
Sugar and Dots

Dreamin' Pillowcases

If you remember in my insta-pics I had went to my friends wedding at the beginning of the month. Since the couple live two provinces away they had requested only money or gift cards in lieu of household items. But the crafter in me wasn't satisfied with giving just a card with a La Senza gift card and Esso gas card inside (meaning to be a 'for her' and 'for him' gift but realized they are actually interchangeable, wink wink). 

Anyways..... I had saved this idea to my computer way back when. (before I was on Pinterest actually, so I have no source.)

Pillow cases that look like one person is dreaming of the other. 

At Walmart I grabbed two plain white pillowcases and some Martha Stewart multi-surface craft paint and free hand painted the cloud and thought bubbles. After it had dried I threw them in the washer, just to make sure the paint didn't bleed or wash away. Which it didn't! I am so happy with how it turned out.

Finished it off by packaging them in a cellophane bag with a cute little hand drawn label.

And now a picture of me and the lovely bride!

Happy Tuesday!

P.S. Thanks to the hubby and lil girl for sitting laying in and being my models for the first pic. Too bad the 3 year old wasn't a better photographer than I could've been the one he was dreamin of.

linked to:
Sugar and Dots
Skip to my Lou

2012 favorites

I was looking through my file of 2012 projects and posts and I have to say I'm super happy with all that I got accomplished in that year! Like last year I'd like to share some favorites.

1. My most viewed post of all time (and my post pinned on pinterest), nail polish into pretend makeup. I've made many more since and both girls love their little compacts.
2. So happy I made the girls a growth chart. They've already grown so much since that first mark on it.
3. I've done a lot of embroidery and this was one of my faves, a little stitched Mr.Darcy quote for my friend who was single and is now married....poor Mr. Darcy.
4. I made quite a few dresses for S out of old t-shirts and such, but this one was my favorite. I have another skirt waiting to be made into another one.
5. I shared with you The Story of Us coloring book from our wedding day.
6. Made some clutches. I see two of them on a daily bases, one is in my purse full time and the other is the makeup bag for the pretend makeup.
7. In October I had gotten caught up on my scrapbooking (I am now behind again, blah). This is my favorite layout of the year.
8. My all time favorite creation of the year was the Rapunzel wig. It turned out perfect! Both S and I were thrilled with it!
9. And lastly I finally made the girls homemade stockings and I managed to put some hangers together just in time for Christmas.

Looking forward to seeing what projects I whip up this year!

Happy Thursday!

Egg Carton Snowmen

S and I did a spur of the moment winter craft during the holidays, making snowmen out of egg cartons. It was really simple and S enjoyed it a lot. 

I cut an egg carton into segments of long segments of three. Let S color on them with markers.

Then I ran and got googlie eyes, pipe cleaners, ribbon and buttons as well as my hot glue gun. S picked out three buttons for each snowman and I put a dab of glue on for each one and she pressed them down along with the eyes. She picked out the pipe cleaners for the arms. We finished them off by wrapping a piece of ribbon around their necks for scarves.

They turned out pretty cute. S was quite happy.

I was planning on having her giveaway three of them but she insisted that they be hung from the chandelier like our halloween toilet paper roll bats were. So up they went!

The Christmas decorations have all been taken down but our four lil snowmen remain. Both girls loves to watch them twirl around. A quick simple project for a chilly afternoon.

linking to:
We Made That