Thank You Notes, Handmade by Toddler (& Mom)

First of all, many congrats to Jaisa who dropped some big news ever-so-casually in last week's post!  I'm basically over the moon and can't stop texting her about it at all hours of the day and night.  I'm just hoping she will share the Instagram picture that she and Charlie used to announce it to their friends... so darling.

Speaking of darling, let's get back to my two year old son.  Smooth transition?  No?  Moving on...

After his second birthday party, Will had a whole lot of thank you notes to get in the mail.  Like last year, I wanted to have him involved in the making of the cards and, like last year, I had a lot of finger paint laying around.  We kicked it up a notch this year, though...

It helps that Will is actually VERY into finger painting now.  I'm not that into it myself and always make excuses for why we shouldn't (it's a huge mess!  it's more hassle than it's worth!  the paints say non-toxic but they're probably loaded with all sorts of sneaky carcinogens!) but a few minutes in it's always apparent that Will is having a blast and it's totally worth it.  Also he isn't eating it, so it could be worse for him, I'm sure.

I let him go nuts on a huge sheet of white paper (Ikea paper roll FTW) and when it had dried the next day, used a heart-shaped stamper cutter ("I can't believe we own that thing.  Its ONLY function is to cut out heart shapes?!" -Jesse) to get some hearts we could use on thank you cards.

Gluesticked onto blank cards, the hearts were the perfect combination of THANK YOU/I LOVE YOU/I'M SORRY THESE WENT OUT A WEEK LATER THAN I HAD PLANNED.  Everyone got handwritten notes and a bit of Will art.

Easy peasy and totally kid friendly.  These could also work as a set of stationery for the grandmothers in your life... Mother's Day is coming!

I want Will to be a thank you note writer when he grows up, so starting early is key.  Thanks again to Will's awesome friends and family... check your mailboxes!

Special Gift Idea for Your Favorite Teacher

My sister, Michaela, posts lots of cool home projects and beautiful cupcakes on Facebook.  I've asked her a few times to feature her cupcakes but she always politely (sort of) declines.  Caitlin saw this on Facebook before I did told me that I had to post this on the blog right away.  So, if you're reading Michaela: 

 

1) I'm sorry I featured this without your permission.

2) This is what happens when you tell me no.

 

My Mom always sent little presents to give our teachers at the end of the school year to thank them for everything they did for us.  Or maybe she just sent them with me because I was the problem child?  Maybe that's why it was a bottle of whisky?

 

Anyway, whatever the reason, my sister made this (with the help of my niece Kenzie) for Kenzie's Kindergarten teacher. 

 

I think this is just SO CUTE and crafty and out of this world and totally outside the realm of my creativity.



I love all of the little details.

I found step by step directions on how to do this on another blog, which you can check out here.  Thanks Michaela...:)

Stay Homey!

Handmade Baby Items I Love

So I had big plans for this weekend.  Big, big plans where I finished off the nursery, vacuumed every crevice of my house, and crafted up some sweet and unique last minute baby items.  But last week my blood pressure spiked and the doctor told me to take it easy.  Like modified-bed-rest-easy, so all of my plans went out the window.  Yesterday's post was a project from a few weeks ago, but there was still plenty I would have liked to have crafted up.

Let's consider this post a little peek into my private "bebe" Pinterest board.  A rundown on projects I thought I could get done pre-baby.

1) DIY Crib Mobile - How sweet is this star and moon mobile?  The tutorial is in German but it looks like it's fairly simple... cut out some cardboard shapes and cover in colored yarn.  Sorry, bebe, no yarn crib mobile for you... (spoiler alert: luckily Jesse ordered an amazing mobile from Etsy for us to use instead)

2)  Fabric Diaper Changing Roll - We have a changing table upstairs in the nursery and a great to-go changing pad for the diaper bag, but I want to set up a changing station downstairs where we spend most of our time during the day.  I had envisioned sewing up a plush, portable changing pad to use.  Since any sewing project would involve a walk around the fabric store, I have put this on the back burner for now...

3) Handmade Baby Hat - I am obsessed with this project and not just because I used to have the same J.Crew shirt.  Late winter/early spring can be pretty chilly around here and I love the idea of stitching up a hat with ears for bebe.  Now that I've tried my hand at reversible hat sewing, I thought I was ready for adding on some ears and a flourish on top.  Not meant to be (for now).

4. Hand Stamped Swaddle Blanket - From what I hear, you can never have enough swaddling blankets for a new baby and this one is stunning.  Though I haven't used a potato stamp in ages, I had envisioned a basset hound stamp on the light, gauzy blanket.  This would also make a lovely baby gift if you can get the stamping down right.

So... a little glimpse into my yet-undone to-do list.  It's possible I will get them done at some point, but for now enjoy these sweet handmade baby goods and stay homey!

DIY No-Slip Socks

As you can probably tell, I have baby on the brain.  I am starting to think about what to pack for my hospital stay and many people suggest bringing slippers or non-slip socks.  Since I don't want to potentially mess up my beloved LLBean slippers, looks like I am going with socks.  Unfortunately, just thinking about hospital-issue socks makes my feet itch so I decided to get creative and make some on my own.

Here's what I used... white socks, puffy fabric paint, and some leftover cardboard to use as a template (roughly traced from my feet).

As you can tell, my feet aren't exactly delicate little lilies...

From here, it's pretty easy.  Using the puffy fabric paint, draw out a pattern on the bottom of your socks...

...and let dry overnight.  The next morning, I slipped them on, tried to faux-ice skate on my hardwood floors (didn't work), and sat down so Jesse could take a picture of them.  The dogs were incredibly curious as to why I was sitting on the floor and wanted to get in on the action, too:

Have a great day, don't mind my furry floors, and stay homey!

(PS - I wash these like normal in the washing machine but hang to dry)

Guest Post: Paint Chip Notebooks

Hi there, Hardly Housewives fans.  My name is Jody and I blog at the hobby room.  I'm from the Pacific Northwest and spend my days playing LEGOs and doing light saber battles with my boys, making treats, and spreading craft supplies over all available surfaces.  I'm here today to show you a fun craft made with everyone's favorite, paint chips.

I met Caitlin when she won my very first blog giveaway for a box of Penzey's Spices.  In the package I mailed Caitlin, along with a sample box of Penzey's Spices, I threw in some of my business cards, which happen to also be paint chip matchbook notepads.  Caitlin really liked the notepads and asked if I would show you all how to make them, too.

This project started out as something I pinned and just couldn't get out of my head.  I really, really like paint chips and was looking for a clever business card idea, so figured that combining the two could only result in greatness.  Right?  Absolutely.

Before I get started, take a look at the project I originally pinned here.  Sky at the Capital B blog does an awesome job and I just love the pictures she took.  I do mine a little differently, but the idea is the same: get some paint chips, cut little pieces of paper, sew it all together.

Supplies you definitely need:

plain white paper
paper cutter
ruler
paint chips, the long rectangle size

Supplies you probably need:

sewing machine with white thread
scissors
scoring board with bone folder
stapler

Let's get started . . .

1.  Fold your paint chips.  I used a scoring board to get a nice, crisp line, but you could just fold the paint chip up and over a ruler.  You need to fold up about half an inch for the bottom portion and this looks good with either the darker color or the lighter color, so I do a mixture of both.  Next fold the top part down so it overlaps the bottom by 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch.  Note where the folds go and score all your paint chips at once.  Score the wrong (non-colored) side of the paint chip.

2.  Cut your filler paper.  Measure the finished size of the matchbook and cut paper squares 1/4 inch smaller in width and height (or 1/8 inch on each side).  Using a paper cutter, cut three sheets at a time into strips, then cut each strip into pages.  Putting eight to ten pages in each matchbook is a good number as far as usefulness and as far as what a sewing machine can handle.

3.  Prep matchbooks.  Pre-fill each paint chip with pages and set aside to facilitate faster sewing.

4.  Sew matchbooks.  Sew a short seam across the bottom of the matchbook, 1/4 inch from the bottom. Make sure to back stitch at each end.  Trim threads close and tuck in the cover.  No sewing machine?  You could just pop a staple through all the layers where you'd sew and call it good.

As a result of the needle punching through the paper, the backside of the matchbook doesn't look as clean as the front and I haven't been able to figure out a way around this.  If you know, please tell me about it.   In the meantime, it didn't really matter because I was putting a printed business card sticker on the back anyway.  You could add any sort of sticker, a color-related phrase would be a really cute thing to do.  How about "You Are My Sunshine" on the back of a bright yellow matchbook?

I really hope you'll try this project.  It's easy to make a lot fairly quickly so you'll always have some on hand and extras to give out to anyone who needs something to write on.  And then won't you be the nicest, most creative person everywhere you go?  Well, okay, I bet you already are.

Caitlin, thanks so much for letting me stop by and share with your readers.  Stop by the hobby room sometime and say "hi," I'd love to have you over!  

Cherry Red Dipped Spoons

Just a quick Sunday post... hope you all had a great St. Patty's Day & are recovering from the green beer & Irish car bombs. Or green cupcakes & spring cleaning. Guess which camp I fall into. Sheesh I'm getting old.

I made more spoons! I'm loving the cherry red (and I added an extra coating of shellack, hence the extra shininess). I made these for my dad, who likes the color red & who is the greatest chef ever.

Stay homey!

Painted Wooden Spoons

In addition to a gift from my dear friend Melissa's registry, I knew I wanted to make her something as part of her bridal shower present (more on her fabulous bridal shower to follow). Her wedding colors are dark blue & yellow and I decided to tie into that.

I was choosing between spoons and napkins when Erin from House of Earnest did a painted spoon tutorial. It took the guesswork out of the project - including how to make the spoons food safe so I don't poison the happy couple.

Here's what I used for this quick and personalized bridal shower gift:

bamboo cooking tools

craft paint & brush

paint tape

shellac (not pictured)

I chose where I wanted the paint to start and used the paint tape to create a neat line...

...then I painted the color on (2 coats) and let them dry (using two nesting bowls to keep the spoons upright)...

Using spray shellac, I put a few shiny layers onto the spoon handles. Once the shellac dried (I let them dry for a full 24 hours), my wooden utensils were ready to rock...

How was your weekend? How are you doing with Daylight Savings Monday (arguably the worst workday all year). Stay awake and stay homey!

Chalkboard Mini-Menu Frames

On Superbowl Sunday, we were expecting a house full of people, all bringing their favorite appetizers. To make the sharing & enjoying of the savory snacks easier, I grabbed some cheapie frames and chalkboard paint (leftover from these projects) and made some mini-chalkboards.

I separated the frames and took the glass out to paint into little chalkboards. After three light layers of the paint, I popped them back into the frames...

...and used them to mark the appetizers that were quickly arriving. Once the Superbowl was over, I rinsed them off and tucked them away for our next party. I think these would be great for a baby or bridal shower, too. Or maybe you could just use them for dinner ("It's quinoa, dammit!").

Stay hungry, friends, and stay homey!

Conversation Hearts Magnets

Is there a treat more often associated with Valentine's Day than Necco's Sweetheart Conversation Hearts? Whether you like the taste or not, you can't deny that they're a V-Day icon and, using some items you can find around your house, I'll show you how I made Conversation Heart Magnets.

http://www.necco.com/ourbrands/default.asp?brandid=8

You'll need:

paint chip samples (cut into hearts with scissors or heart shaped punch)

thin magnets (also cut into hearts)

glue & brush

pen

These were all things I owned already.  As with the Valentine's Day banner, I used paint color samples from the Home Depot.  For the magnets, I used those business-card style magnets that small companies send to you or have at their check-out counters.  We have a TON from when we moved and every local business sent us information about their services.

Once my hearts were cut out (but before I glued them onto the magnets, in case I made a mistake or didn't like how the writing looked), I wrote some "conversation" on these hearts.  I know there are updated versions now that say things like "TEXT ME", but the only things Jesse and I text about is picking up dinner on the way home or Fred's recent visit to the vet.  Thanks, but I think I'll stick with the classics.

Use a thin layer of glue to stick the paint chips to the magnets, let dry, and hang up...

Easy to make and free... what's not to love?

Stay homey!