Oversized Rustic Paper Flower Tutorial

Ok guys, here it is! Just as promised. If you missed my previous post about the baby shower I hosted, go check it out so you can see how amazing these flowers can look as a backdrop! 

So the first step is to go to Trader Joe's a million times and start collecting brown paper bags! (or you could always use butcher paper) You will want to make a couple different sizes of semi circles (see step 4) since the petals should get a little bit smaller towards the middle of the flower.

It is easiest to just knock this step out of the way and make a million petals at once. These petals SHOULD feel very rustic. In fact I had made a huge pile of them and my husband threw them all away because he though they were trash! 

You will be using a lot of hot glue! The great thing is you can manipulate each petal as you glue it in to form the shape you like best. It will all start making sense once the petals are layered on each other. Use the largest petals for the base and then add the smaller sized petals as you layer.

You're almost done! Just time for the finishing touch....

And here a  couple of pictures of how they were displayed. I personally LOVE the rustic brown because it grounds any colors you decide to use for other decorations. 

Go ahead and comment if you have any questions and I will be sure to answer them!.

XOXO- Christie

 

Baby Girls' Clothes are so much Cuter!

On Friday, my niece turned one.  One year ago Friday (actually Thursday, it was a long labor!) I was driving down to Fallbrook to meet my precious little niece.  It is weird how even after having my own kids, Emma can hold such a huge piece of my heart.  I guess as parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, you never know how much love your heart can hold until another little piece of joy enters your life.  And then your heart overflows.

And of course Auntie Talia spoils the heck out of little Mems, as she is affectionately called.  I love it because as much as I love my boys, and I do, they can't wear tutus.  So Emma's birthdays and Christmases and anything else are going to be filled with the frilliest it gets, because being the only girl in a household of boys, I need frills!!

So here is what I made her.  I started with a super cute purple tutu from Costco.  I know, Costco, but they were so cute I got two.  Purple is my favorite color, so it worked!  Then I decided a tutu just wasn't enough, I had to have something to go with it.  A little white shirt with the letter 'E'.  Perfect.

Here is what I used:
- Purple material
- Green lace type material for the 'E'
- White onesie
- Cricut
- Sewing adhesive
- Sewing machine

At first, I tried to cut the material using the CriCut.  Fail.  You can kinda see in the picture that the material is all bunched up and kinda cut.  Bummer.  But I found a way!

I used the CriCut and cut out the letter 'E' using just regular printer paper.  I held the paper down to the material and used a purple sharpie to draw the outline.  Then I cute within the purple lines so the outside had a purple fade on it. 

Then I ironed on the adhesive to the 'E' and then peeled off the paper and ironed the 'E' onto the shirt.  I added the green elastic behind the back of the 'E' for a little more frill and to bring out some more green. 

Now, since I didn't use heavy duty adhesive, I also had to sew it on.  I used a zigzag stitch but for some reason my sewing machine was acting up and it would pause and then go really fast then pause.  But I decided it just added a little vintage feel to the letter.  Right?  You see it, vintage-y...

There you have it!  Pretty simple, right?  I actually did it the morning of the party, so yes, it was very simple.  I love doing little personalized gifts like this, I think it adds so much.  And it lets me get some of my creative juices flowing!!

Isn't this tutu to die for?  It is a good thing I don't have a girl.  We would be broke.  But she would always look cute!  :)

Happy Birthday, baby girl.  Auntie loves you!!

Large and In Charge! Baby Girl Flower Headbands

Happy Monday everyone!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  I had a great one.  Friday I took my little guy to see my parents and Tae at the beach, more on that tomorrow.  Saturday we had a baby shower to go to, more on that below.  And Sunday we went to church, got my hair cut, and went to a dance recital!  More on that later (the hair part, just to be clear...).

I want to try to make items for baby showers and weddings, etc.  I think it means a lot to the couple to know there was time invested and it is nice to have handmade things.  Not to mention, it is more cost effective, if you know what I mean.  So this particular friend is having a girl, if you haven't noticed by glancing down for a sec.  I love it when other people have girls.  Because I don't have to have them.  But I can make them beautiful things!  For the shower Saturday, I wanted to make my favorite flower headbands.  Take a look:

My supplies are the picture to the left.  The elastic for the headbands are from downtown L.A.  I am so bummed I didn't take a picture of all the colors.  So many options!  I bought the flowers at Joann's with a 40% off coupon.  Love it!

I love the tool at the top of this picture.  You can bedazzle the heck out of just about anything.  My mom uses it with her invitation business, really jazzes 'em up.  Using the rhinestones that have the adhesive on the bottom, you just choose a tip that fits the rhinestone size, let it heat up, press down for about 25 seconds and voila!  I think every newborn baby girl has the right to be blinged out, don't you?

I have to specify 'baby girl' because you know what?  I have a confession...  During the process of making all these little pretties, I may or may not have put a few of them one on my baby boy...  Aaahhh I know!! I am a horrible mom!  I didn't take any pictures, does that redeem me at all?  (although I am sitting here wishing I had taken at least one, he has the best hair!)  It almost, but not quite, made me want to have a girl.  And by the way, if you know my husband and you tell him, I will hurt you. That is, if he doesn't hurt me first. 

Well, in my professional opinion, a girl can never have too many flower headbands.  And the bigger the better.  What do you think?  Want one for your baby girl?  Maybe I will put some in my ever impending Etsy shop...  Would anyone buy them?  And I am going to make some that are mom appropriate (i.e. not so large and in charge, knowhaddamean?)  I will show you those later.  Have a great Monday!  

I will be linking this to all my parties on my Party Page.

And today is the last day! I would seriously love it if you each could take 5 seconds to vote for me!  Click the link and then give me a thumbs up! You are all so awesome that I have made it this far!

French for Hand Made

Good Morning everyone!

I haven't been able to be very crafty lately, and I am sooo sorry! I know you all have been holding your breaths waiting for the next crafty post.  So take a deep breath, it is here.  You're welcome.

So in case you missed it, heck I even missed it, this post was on Eisy Morgan last week.  She was a busy girl on vaca so I helped out with a guest post.  Since I was flying cross country the day it posted, I didn't even get to let you guys know that I was over there!  So here ya go!

As you all know,  I have been dabbling in jewelry making.  It has been a ton of fun.  Actually, I am going to Downtown LA this Friday to see what else I can get... hehe
Here is my most recent completed project. 

Ain't she puuurrty?!  I was proud.  So get out your jewelry makin' kits and let's make a necklace!  I just want to say that anyone can do this with some basic things you might have around the house.  I don't even have needle nose pliers, I just used regular ones and it was fine.  Maybe easier using the correct ones, but hey, it worked.

Here is what you need:

jump rings

charms of your choice

chain

clasp

pliers (preferably needle nose)

head pins

You are gonna love how easy this is. Cut the chain the length you want.  Make sure you keep a piece for the charms.  Attach the extra piece to a jump ring and then attach that to the necklace.  I would suggest not attaching it to a specific ring, but to the chain, so it has moveability.

Add the charms how you want them, as shown above.

I used left over pearls from a necklace that was beyond repair.  I used head pins and twisted the top to make a circle. (top right pic)  Then attach a jump ring to the circle and attach the jump ring to the chain.  Comprendo?  I tried to explain it on the pics too.

I used a pearl to be between the necklace part and the chain part.  Then I attached my charms I chose.  See you can personalize it!  I ended it with a tassel. 

So what do ya think?  I think it was super easy, and that was with using the wrong tools.  So imagine what it would be if you use the right ones!

DIY Earrings!

Good Morning everyone!

I have a recent craft to share with you all today.  Like I mentioned, I have been into making jewelry lately.  I would love to make more, but this whole packing thing is really cramping my style.  But I managed to bust these out a couple weeks ago, before I started packing.  These were my first attempt at jewelry making, so be nice... :)

Here is what you need:

~ Two equal length chains

~ Charms of your choice

~ Head pins

~ Jump hooks

~ Earring hooks

I used  left over jewels from my old necklace I mentioned here.  I also used it here a bit.  And another craft that will pop up a little later.  I am really getting a lot of use out of this baby!

You're gonna love how super easy this is.  I probably don't even need to explain.

But don't worry, I will. :)  I chose charms to match, two of each, obviously.  I put the pretty flowered ones at the bottom and I worked up from there.  I would count the links to make sure everything was even.  You also would want to make sure that you are placing the charms evenly on each side. 

In my pictures I am just using the pins that came with the old necklace I had.  It doesn't look awful because you can't really see it once I am wearing them.  But I would suggest to use the proper tools and use the head pins.  It would probably look more professional. 

I also had left over chain at the top. Instead of cutting it, which I could have, I just put a jump ring and attached the earring hooks and let the rest of the chain hang. I figured it kinda went with the whole feel of the necklace. 

But what do you think?  I still think they are pretty.  And, like I mentioned, these were my first ones, so I think I can cut myself a little slack.  Just look out for things to get better and better!  Oh and since I am going back to LA, I cannot wait to go to downtown LA and get some beautiful stuff for jewelry!!  YAY!  Maybe an Etsy shop opening this summer.... Who knows!!

I am linking up to my parties here.  Except I usually only get to the first half of them and forget by Friday. Oops!

I hope you all have a wonderful day! 

Countdown!

Hello everyone!

I am posting a tad bit late today because I was at the park earlier with my boys and Tae, my oldest fell and sliced open his hand.  It was pretty gnarly (sp?).  But the pharmacist and the husband said they didn't think he needed stiches.  So bandaids it is.  Except French bandaids suck. 

In other news, I have a cool craft for you all!!  We are leaving for the states in 14 days, yes exactly.  You wanna know how I know exact days?  I made a countdown for us!  Let's get right to it...

My boys had nice wooden blocks that they never played with (until, of course, I took them out to do this project.  Then they were the most interesting thing ever!)  But they are good quality, so I thought why not!  I know you can buy wood sets on Etsy, which would definitely make it look more professional.  There are always ways to make my crafts look more professional.  :)

So I started with painting the blocks black.  You can use any colors, but since mine already had stuff on them, black was the best option.  Then measure and cut the amount of pieces you will need to cover all the sides.  I used the same paper, but you can use scraps that go well together too.  Modgepodge the paper on there.  I did a second coat to solidfy it.  Let dry.

Now what I did from here I wouldn't suggest for people who aren't artists.  Like me.  If you have a Silhouette, you could cut out numbers and letters of what you want to say.  Or I think a cricut does it too.  I, however, don't have those wondeful items available to me, so I took a sharpie to it.  But you know what, it worked! 

For the base, I glued two painted black blocks together, cut a longer strip and modgepodged it on there to make it look like a base.  

You can see it on the picture, but you will need 0,1,2,3,4,5 on one block and 0,1,2,6,7,8 on the other. The 6 also needs to double as a 9.

Then once dried, set it up!  We currently have 14 more days until we leave for California!!  Whoo-hoo!

And I think the highest you can go is 50 more days unles you have more blocks. 

This could be such a cute thing to have for each season! Or birthdays.  There is so much you could do.  I still have a few blocks left in the boys set, which somehow they now love, I might make blocks to stack that say 'love' or something. 

What do you think?  But don't remark on my writing skills.  I am aware.

I am linking this up to my parties here, or whichever ones I get around to linking to!

Have a great Tuesday!

Easter Subway Art

Okay, so I am a little behind on anything Easter, whoops!  I didn't really decorate here, because we are moving in a just a bit and I don't want to make more so that I have to pack more, ya know?  (If you are wondering why I am moving, stay tuned Friday for more of my story)  So last week sometime I made some Easter Subway art.  It was fun!  I can't wait to do more.  Then I spent a little time trying to figure out how to make them printable and gave up.  I just got tired of trying.  But I didn't want to not link them!  So here they are.  I wonder if you could still print them, I made them 8x10.  I don't have a printer, otherwise I would try it.  Sorry folks.  But if you have a printer and would like to try it, let me know if it works!  They are yours for the taking.

Easter Spiritual

Easter fun

This is the first one I made.  It looks a little busy to me.  But I think the more I pratice, and I intend to, I will get better.  I hope you guys like them! 

Oh and you are gonna want to check back tomorrow.  It is my VERY FIRST GIVEAWAY here!!  YAY, I am so excited!! So stay tuned to see what you can win!

I am linking this up to my linky parties here and Eisy Morgan's birthday bash party too.  Maybe I will win something.  I never win anything!  Goooooo me!

Have a great day!

Feather Headband

Hello friends!

I have had a bizarre morning.  First of all, customs had my new iPad and I didn't think I was gonna see my pretty little baby for a while.  But then this morning, someone knocked on the door, then rang the doorbell (I'm coming, I'm coming!) and it was our package guy!!!  "J'ai une petite colis pour vous."  OUI, Merci!!  I was so excited.  It is my new iPad.  I can't wait to play with it a bit more and see all the fun things it can do!

The rest of my bizzare morning was spend frustrated on the computer because it was so stinkin' slow and getting nothing done. ugh.  Having a little whiney baby.  Not fun.  But things are looking up, computer hasn't been too bad and I have a craft for you!

I am actually going to link this with Eisy Morgan linky party.  She is having one today for anyone who has recreated one of her looks.  Mine isn't entirely a recreation, but I got the inspiration from her, so I am linking!  Here we go:

I had a headband already and I had the flower thingie.  It was kinda boring and I liked the way Ashley used the flowers.  So I decided to spice mine up a bit.  I took some feathers left over from some earrings I made and hot glued them to the back of my flower.  You could use anything. Ashley actually used felt which is awesome, but I didn't have any.  I got the size I wanted with the headband and hot glued that.  I suppose you could sew it too, but I don't have a sewing machine, so glue gun it is!

Then I added some white feater for some mroe color and depth.  And I glued it to the headband.  How easy is that?? 

What do you think?

In addition to Eisy Morgan's birthday bash linky, I am linking up to my usuals!  And don't forget, I still have my linky open for a few more days!

Have a great day!

Decopauged Canvas Decor

A week or two ago I got to share this project over at At Home with K.  Thanks Kindra!  Anyway I thought I would post it here in case any of you missed it!

So, I don't have a lot of money to spend or space in my house.  So although it can be more challenging, it is super fun to say 'yes, I made that!  And for like 2 bucks!'  So I am going to share with you my most recent finished project, what I made for my front entry way.  Here it is:

And now for the tutorial, really simple and inexpensive ladies! That is the best part!

Here are the materials I used:

1. Canvas board (size of your choice)
2. Black tissue paper
3. Old book (I used the same one as my last project!)
4. Modgepodge glue
5. Hot glue gun and glue
6. cardboard (not pictured)
7. I used the letter 's' for the finished project

I started by decopauging the canvas board with the black tissue paper.  Not neatly so it has a personality!  And trust me, I am good at not being neat. Then you let it sit overnight to dry. 

Then I proceeded to make a ton of little flowers for the heart.  You cut out a spiral.  It doesn't have to be perfect, but make it a circle, ovals don't work nearly as well.  Start at the outside and curl in. 

You will come to the end and it will look like above.  Add glue over the entire base and seal with the remaining flap of paper like below.



Yes, those are my dry hands! I wash the dishes toooooo much!

 May I suggest putting on a good movie and bustin' out these bad boys.  I just sat at the table by myself.  Not nearly as fun! 

Isn't it cute? I am sure you could find a ton of ways to showcase these beauties!

Voila!  My petite fleur! 

I cut out a heart shape on a book page.  I realized it was a bit flimsy so I attached it to a piece of cardboard I cut in the same shape.  So if there were any spaces, it would be another book page.  I glued all the flowers on with hot glue, starting on the outside and moving in to make sure I kept the flower shape.  I stuck them in there as tight as they would go! 

I don't have a picture, but I am sure it isn't that hard to figure out, I glued it to the decopauged canvas!  The great part about this project is that the heart could be any shape you want!  Like maybe a little bird, which are popular now, but with a cute material on it instead of the hearts.  It is all left to your style and imagination!

Here is how I used my finished project: 




My little picture wall in our entry way.

 And if you remember, I asked about where I should use my 'S', this is where she ended up!  What do you think?  And really, if I am being honest, this table never stays this neat.  There is always jackets, beenies, randomness there.  But it looks good for the pic! 

I am linking this baby up to all the parties on my linky page!