Wordle-ing my brains out

If you haven't tried Wordle yet...YOU MUST!  I've been using it for all sorts of things and Christmas projects.  I won't share them all because some of them are for people who may on occasion click on this blog.  But I will share one with you that I took to a gift exchange at church and it was a big hit.  I really need to make one of these for myself because I wanted to steel my own gift back!

I used this website Wordle and typed in the words I wanted.  To make the bigger words you type them in more often.  So for "Believe, Christ, and We" I typed them in 3 times each.  Then you can manipulate how you want them, what font they are to be in, size, shape, color EVERYTHING!  It's fabulous, then just print...FOR FREE!

I printed mine on vellum and Mod Podged it over scrapbook paper on this cool wooden thingy.  I call it a wooden thingy because I have no idea what it was used for in the first place.  Since it's just you and you won't tell anyone else, I got it off the curb, it was dark brown and solid wood, so I painted it and WA-LA!  I may have found 8 of it's brother's and sister's on the curb too and can't wait to get to making these for my family next year for Christmas.  I'm going to ask each family for 20 or so words that describe them and then make one for each family group.

SOOOOO long story short this gift cost me $0 out of pocket that day I had everything in my stash!  YAY for the stash!

An Army of Gingerbread People!

I found this cute tutorial online to make these super cute gingerbread men.

click here for tutorial

Immediately I started making them and made them until I ran out of felt!  I didn't have any tiny rick rack so I improvised and just used embroidery floss to make the squiggles on the leg and arms.  I also improvised and used fleece for the eyes instead of felt.  I decided to make them gender specific (my girls needed gingerbread girls) and added a half eaten bow to one with some "bling".  They are adorable!!

I got 3 out of one piece of felt and on the last 2 I didn't stuff them and I really like the flat ones better.  SOOOO long story short these cost me $0 today, I had all the stuff in my stash, and even if you didn't you are talking a whole dollar (maybe) to make several of them!

Now...to take over the world!!!  MUAWHHAAHAAA

Christmas Plan 2010

I realized today that I needed to sit down and write out my plan for Christmas.  Lots of people have been asking me what I am making my family for Christmas this year and I have lots of ideas floating around in my head but it's time to get the plan formulated so that I'm not running in 50 directions Christmas Eve!  So here is my outline of things I am doing for the kids for Christmas:

K= Oldest Daughter 11 years old:

• She has requested a stuffed Octopus (weird I know and it goes against all my "no stuffed animal" rules, but it will be homemade and hopefully something she will love, and it will be FREE!!)
• Wooden bracelets found at Hancock's for 25 cents each will decorate and make beautiful with fabric, paint, and ModPodge.
• PJ's bought last year on clearance at Walmart for $1.50 a pair
• Knitting loom bought on clearance for $2 (will get some yarn too)
• scripture tote
• maybe a shelf for over her bed so she can have her books handy

O= Youngest Daughter 8 years old

• Same wooden bracelets as oldest
• also Pj's bought on clearance
• knitting loom
• Quilt
• Handmade hair bows

C= Oldest Son 6 years old

• Cowboy dress up outfit.  I am making a vest out of faux leather.  Sheriff's badge, and maybe some chaps.  
• PJ's free from a friend
• Star Wars wooden people found here
• He has also requested a stuffed Panda bear.  
• Dinosaur DVD's received set for free from hubby's "select a gift" at work

L= Youngest son 16 months old

• Homemade PJ's
• Need more ideas!

Hubbs= Best Husband EVER (age will not be disclosed)

• PJ's pants
• need more ideas

So that's it so far.  Haven't even begun to think about extended family yet.  My SIL has requested blankets for her family, and my mom wants coasters.  FIL is getting Cowboy Poetry book, MIL is getting a cute picture thing that Hubbs found for her.  Grandma is getting...don't know.  I'll post more when I figure it all out.

Excuses, Excuses

It's been so long since I've posted I bet you thought I was busy making something A-M-A-Z-I-N-G...well I wasn't!  I was busy with life, 4 kids, daycare, hubby, and just running a household.  I know how can I be sooooo boring?  My daughter asks me that ALL the time!

I have done a few projects I found a really cute chair on the curb and have reupholstered it to look fabulous, do you think I've taken a picture of it...NO!  I guess I could now, I'm looking at the chair and my camera is within reach, I may not even have to move...hold on...be right back...

OK, there!  Before it was a velvet pink and it would not have been so bad if it hadn't been so dirty and worn. Now it is sporting a new clean fabric and is all cute and creaky!  I found the fabric at Hancock's for $8 a yard (luckily I hadn't bought it yet) but my friend and I went up to Chicago to Vogue Fabrics and found the exact same fabric for $1.99 a yard!  What a bargain.  Now for only $4 I have a new-to-me chair.  

If you live in or around the Chicago area you have to hit Vogue Fabrics, it was fabulous.  Word of advice, don't take your 12 month old, it's a big downer!  I could have looked around for hours but I rushed through a bit because he was getting antsy.  

Let's see what else...Oh, I took apart one of my old dresses and made a fabulous skirt for my daughter.  

She's 11 and growing like a weed so things get short really fast.  She likes it and all of you re-designers out there really inspired me!

Oh, and I've got on a kick making head bands for my girls.  

 (no this is not one of my girls, but he was the only one home with me, don't judge me!)

Now that Christmas is coming up really fast I'm sure that I'll have lots of projects to post about.  I'm so glad that this whole blog thing didn't take off like I hoped it would have because really several months in between posts is NOT acceptable for a craft blog! 

I'll try and be better, I'll try and craft more, promise.

Finally Done

This project has been months, maybe even years in the making.  For a few years I have dedicated a wall, the only wall, in my kitchen to the children's art.  Before this project I had a wire strung between two antique door knobs that the kids hung their art on with decorated clothes pins.  This system worked well and the kids know if they put it on the board it is temporary and only stays up about a week or two then is taken down/thrown out to make room for new art.

Well I wanted something different there so I came up with this:

You can see my kids already got to the Welcome!  I just taped off a rectangle the size of the inside of the frame and painted it with about 8 coats of magnetic paint, and 2 coats of chalkboard paint.  Then I just hung the frame around it.

Here's what I learned:

1. Magnetic paint says you only need 2-3 coats, well it LIES!  I did 2-3 and you couldn't even hang a small magnet on it.  Even with 8 coats it's not strong like your fridge, but it will hold things well enough for my purpose.

2. Don't paint your actual wall!  Next time I will paint a board that size and nail it into my frame, way easier and removable.  Now if I want to get rid of it I will have to repaint my whole kitchen!

3. Be prepared to Swiffer Sweeper your floor every day, chalk is very dusty.

4. Chalkboard paint washes very well with water, unlike an actual chalkboard.

5. The kids will be completely entertained for 15.2 minutes after you are done with this project.  Just long enough for you to take pictures and blog about it!

Chalkboard paint is cheap, magnetic paint is not cheap, the frame was on clearance at Hob Lob for $8.  I got the paint for a gift so in my mind that is FREE, so the whole thing only cost me $8!!!