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Let’s get Crafty!

I had this really cool pillow that I loved but after a couple of years the burlap backing was tattered and torn so I decided to re-purpose it. I bought a decorative chipboard shape at Hobby Lobby a while ago. At the time I just thought it was cool and that it would come in handy some day. I was originally thinking to mount a watercolor photo on it and I may need to go back and get another one for that project but in the meantime it worked great for this project. Let’s get Started You will need Mod Podge, a sponge applicator or brush, an old credit card and any surface for mounting. You could use old barn wood, maybe glass, cork – just use your imagination! I figured out approximately where I wanted the bird to be and then cut down my fabric to be just slightly larger. Apply a generous amount of mod podge and apply fabric. Use your credit card to smooth out any bubbles. I then used mod podge on the sides and attached the fabric there as well. You could cut it out to be the exact shape and finish with a ribbon trim or paint also. These would make great Christmas gifts and easy enough for your kids to do for their friends. You could also buy pre-made cork squares and cover those for a cute cork board....

Fun (Easy) Christmas Craft

I had a crazy busy weekend, one that included going to the mall. I suggest you stay far away, but since Macys left the sensor on my sister-in-laws gift, I had no choice. 🙁 It was scary, lots of honking! People need to take a chill pill before going. It’s going to be busy, someone will take your parking spot, and some of the things you want to buy will be sold out, deal with it. I also had two soccer games to go to and an annual -not to miss- cookie exchange. I squeezed in a few minutes to make these super cute Christmas Tree in a mason jar decorations. They are super easy and anyone can do them, plus you get to skip paying $40 for them at stores like Anthropologie. What you need: Jars with lids – any kind will do, we keep and clean spaghetti sauce jars Snow – I bought a bag of snowflakes at Home Depot, you can also use epsom salts Glitter – any color Bottle Brush Trees – Multiple sizes are good, I found mine at Hobby Lobby Glue Gun Other embellishments – Small figurines, Glittery houses, other ornaments You can glue the little trees either at the bottom of the glass jar or on the lid. I think I prefer the bottom of the jar. I tried it both ways. Then I just added fake snow and some glitter. The next one I make I think I will spray the tree with adhesive and roll it in glitter. You can decorate the lid, mine has fabric on it, or paint...

Lazy Summer Days

As you can probably tell from our lack of blog posts we’ve either been really busy or really lazy. I’m going with busy. Oddly we spend our time from May-July designing for Christmas. We’ve recently completed about 100 new Christmas cards for various stationery sites. I finally am taking a breather and enjoying the summer. I love summer when the kids are off of school, no more field trip forms, checks for yearbooks or geography projects. But sometimes it is hard to come up with something to do with the kids that does not involve lots of money. We love going to the beach, movies and amusement parks but between gas, parking, food and activities it is usually a $100 day. So until we win the lottery we have to fill most of our days with fun cheap activities. Here are a few of the things we like doing: 1. Swimming – my kids love swimming and want to swim everyday. Luckily my parents live down the street and have a pool. Bring some popsicles and let the kids swim for a couple of hours. Most cities have public pools that you can join for the summer for a reasonable cost. 2. Park – try a new park and bring lots of snacks, water and packed lunches. You can also bring your scooters or bikes for even more fun. 3. Go for a hike – we are lucky to live next to a beautiful park. Go early so it is not too hot. 4. Lemonade stand – My daughter and her friends decided to raise money to go see...