Star Wreath

I wasn't going to do a 4th of July decoration. And then I became inspired by these two decorations:

This one is from Lowes (I saw it on Pintrest). They used what looked like paint sticks for the base. And I've been inspired like crazy by this lovely lady:

Her name is Emily and I'm lucky to know her in real life! She make the cutest crafts and is selling them on her etsy site to help pay for medical bills for her sweet baby boy. Anyways, I've been seeing her cute decorations and I was inspired by her to give it a whirl.This is the one that gave me the idea for the blue in my decoration~ isn't it the cutest? Yeah, you should go support her here!

So, I went around my house looking for something to be the frame of my star, and I found some flimsy plastic hangers. So I arranged them and glued them (bare with me, it isn't perfect). 

Then I wrapped it in a paper bag (so you wouldn't see the hangers through the rope).

Now, I didn't get a picture of the next part, but I basically wrapped twine around the arms (gluing with hot glue occasionally) and circled it in the middle. Then added blue paint to create more of a flag-like look, kinda like Emily did, above. Below are the shots of the finished piece. The twine I got from Dollar Tree, it's technically a clothes line (so it's coated in wax). It's 70 feet and I used almost 2 whole ones. Since I had the hangers, paper bag, paint and glue, this project cost me $2, for the rope- can't beat that!

$4 Winter Wreath

If you know me, you know that there are some things I won't spend much money on. Decorating is one of those things. I see absolutely no reason to go spend $25+ on a wreath that will hang for a few months and then be taken down because it is the end of the season. I'm also very much in love with the fact that our new house has a perfect wreath hanging spot.

So, this wreath was inspired by pintrest (where else?). I found the lovely tutorial over at Fox Hollow Cottage. I loved the idea of her burlap roses, but I wanted color. I was thinking white and blue would make a fabulous winter wreath.

The cost breakdown: $1, floral base (I wanted the one like she had, but Dollar Tree stopped carrying them), $2 for the ribbon, $0.25 for the glitter flower--it was suppose to be a poinsettia, but I didn't think it really looked like one. But I got it marked down after Christmas because of it. My favorite part, it has an alligator clip on the back, so if I want to use it elsewhere, I could! $1 coffee filters, I used 26. So, yes, I rounded down, technically it was $4.25 for the wreath! Other supplies included: water, blue food coloring, hot glue, scissors.

To make some of the coffee filters blue, I folded and twisted them the same way I will do for the white ones (picture below). Then I dipped the tops in water with blue food coloring. I used about 1 cup of water and 6 drops. Basically, I played with the color until I got it the way I liked it. I let those dry overnight.

So to  begin, I wrapped the ugly green foam in the ribbon. Basically, I didn't want to see it through the wreath. 5 yards got me this far, glad I bought 2 :)

Then you stick your hand in the coffee filter to make it this shape:

Twist the bottom, and you are good to go! I found it easier to make several and then glue them, make several more, then glue.

My foam was a smaller circle, so I quickly realized that I needed to glue them more to the outside of the wreath. Too close to the inside, makes for not a very big hole in the middle ( it took some trial and error to figure that out). If I had a bigger frame, this wouldn't have been an issue.

I attached ribbon to tie it with and the flower. I really like the way it turned out! Here is how it looks up close:

 Ans a bit further back :)

Wreath

I've been seeing so many wreaths on Pintrest lately, that I decided to make one myself. The deal I made was that it had to cost less than $5, and it did! This is the tutorial I used, but I'm sure there are lots out there! I love her colors! So off to the thrift store I went, in search of ornaments (I stopped at a few dollar stores, but it would have cost me more to make them there). BINGO! I got a whole bag (really should have taken a picture) of random Christmas things for $2.99. It had lots of red silver and blue balls. I had the wire hanger and the glue already (you need to glue the tops on, or they won't stay). I've seen many tutorials saying you need 80+ balls. I used 53 and my wreath is 15 inches tall. So I guess it depends on how large you want it to be. $3 and 30 minutes later:

 I need to add a ribbon bow at the top. I figured I could do that later, since it won't go out until Christmas.

I love the way the red compliments the brick so well. I've always loved brick houses, but had no idea God was going to give me one! So there you have it, a Christmas decoration completed.

Pumpkins

Looking around our house I realize how much room I have for things like decorations that I did not have in a one bedroom apartment, gasp! I know, you are shocked. We didn't have any fall decorations. And my husband said we didn't need to buy any. So I decided I would make some. I should have made more, but then school got busy again and this was all that happened. Oh well, at least I have something!

I made these guys out of paper towel tubes cut down. My hubby said I couldn't spend money, so I used what I had. I was inspired by some pumpkins I saw... not sure where that were made from Mason jar rings. They looked ok, but I don't love the country look :) I then painted the "rings" and added a bit of glitter, really hard to see in the picture. Hot glued them to the scrapbook paper stem and added the leaf (cut from scrapbook paper).

I made two! They are displayed more creatively now. I found a 3 tired candle display at a thrift store for $1, so I put them on the sides and added some burlap roses on top. Looks way cuter now. Just a peak into my "too busy to be super crafty" life :) Happy fall!

Creativity on the Cheap

I had the opportunity through Crowdtap and Woolite to host a clothing swap party. If you don't know about Crowdtap, it is a website that companies use to ask consumers (you) questions, get feedback on products and what you buy. They currently reward you by giving you points for each question answered/party held/discussion answer. This was my first party through them. Woolite sent me 10 samples and coupons along with a $10 gift card (to help with party planning costs). So their challenge was for me to host a clothing swap. Each person brings at least 3 pieces of clothing/accessories that she doesn't want anymore and we swap them. It's like shopping without spending money!

I invited lots of people, but in the end only 4 ended up coming (one got sick and another's babysitter got sick). That number was perfect, as I live in a small apartment. Here are some pictures of the decorations (done with my cricut):

 The streamer "runway":

 Gift Baskets with a laundry theme.

 Goodies inside included a stain stick, style quiz, samples, chocolate and mini lint roller.

 

Prizes for "best dressed"

 

 Mary Kay perfumes to complete the outfit!

 Skinny Snacks! Sorry about the sideways photo!

 These are so yummy!

 Results from our style quiz:

 And some glamour shots. We were having so much fun, I forgot to take pictures until we were almost done!

Overall it was a fun night! And who can beat free clothing?!

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

I'll admit it, I have a problem (well, I've got many, but I'm only sharing one tonight). I've become reliant on Pintrest. Not for creative ideas, but to save websites when I find one I will want to go back to. Tonight I was annoyed that the website I wanted didn't have an image big enough to pin. So, I'm getting creative. I'm writing a post about it, linking back to it and posting a picture so that I can pin my blog, which will lead to the website (sorry if you are coming from Pintrest, I realize this may be a pain to come here only to link to another site). But I have a strong desire to have things in one place, and this is the only way I can think to do it.

So my sweet hubby wanted a chicken sandwich tonight and I wanted pancakes. I typically just make him something and he eats it, but tonight I asked, so I felt obligated to fulfill his request, even if I wasn't craving it. So our apartment smells a bit funky with the mixed smells.  That aside, I goodsearched whole wheat pancakes. (I don't google when I can goodsearch. Goodsearch gives a penny to a charity for each search, in my case a local group that supports children with autism. You can choose the charity and it is powered by yahoo, so the search results are good.) I had to discard the first 6 or so due to a lack of buttermilk. But I finally found one that I had ingredients for! Whole Wheat Cinnamon Chocolate Pancakes~yum! So I've been trying to eat healthy. So even though I would normally love an excuse to eat chocolate, I substituted diced apple for the chips (peeled, diced, stuck in the microwave with water for 2 minutes, then mixed them in place of the chips). They were so yummy! And get this, the first one came out perfectly! That NEVER happens with pancakes (at least not for me!). Now, I'm not guaranteeing your first one will be perfect, but it's worth a shot :D

The only thing I would change is add more cinnamon (I think you were suppose to add more with the chocolate, but I didn't). The recipe made 13 medium sized pancakes, should inquiring minds want to know. And here is a lovely shot of the beauties:

Note: This is not my original recipe. There is a link above to follow to the creator and the recipe.

Christmas Cards

 Yes, I realize I'm about 2 months late, but I figured I'd post a few of my Christmas cards anyways. I started out with a prototype, and then I got bored and made some with random other things (I dislike doing tons of the same card).The first photo (three cards) is my prototypes. Phrases are Stampi Up Stamps I borrowed from my mil. The second was me just messing around with dying buttons. Not my favorite. The third I used Paint swatches from walmart and cut them with my cricut (simple triangle).The Frosty SVG was from Nancy and can be found here. The winter scene was from Papa Sue, although the blog has changed sites and I can't find the link to the actual SVG anymore. Either way, props goes to PapaSue; blog here.

That's all, folks!