Yarn Wrapping & Rolled Fabric Flower Necklace How-to

Wanna know how to make the necklace I'm wearing in this picture? Check out Buzzfeed for the full instructions.

Craft Lab - Balloon Party

Tomorrow morning Addi Somekh stops by the Craft Lab and does incredible things with balloons. I'm talking instruments, flowers and party decorations.  Check out the video for a sneak peak.

I Love to Create - From Fanny Pack to Glammy Pack

For those of you that have been following with my journey to lose the baby weight you know that I have recently taken up jogging. I am about half way through a couch to 5k program. This is my second go at it after a stress fracture that put me on crutches and the couch for a few weeks. This time around I thought I needed a little something extra on my jogs. Something sparkly, bright and perky. This is when the idea to turn my fanny pack from the 80's into a glammy pack for 2012 hit me. Sadly, I'm not so sure my makeover was a good one. Not every craft adventure can have a happy ending. My knee is starting to bother me again and my glammy pack came out a bit of a hot mess. Never fear, I have a few other sporty makeovers to share with you that will inspire you to ride, run and walk! First up let's talk about my fanny pack. It started life acid washed. I'm sure at the time I had picked that option and thought it was swell. 25 years-ish later I thought I could pep the look up with a few neon accents. If nothing else it would help make me more noticeable to cars. Using Tulip fabric spray paint in three neon shades I coated my Hippy. I should have stopped here but I had visions of neon racing stripes and glittery wording that said something witty like "Let's Get Physical". Instead using a very unsteady hand I tried to do some stenciling that ended up looking like blobs. Truly compared to what I jog in the glammy pack looks amazing. All your craft projects can't turn out perfect right? So if my glammy pack does not make you want to lace up and hit the trails, maybe these projects will. Recently one evening I rode my bike down to the local Red Box. As I peddled home the disk bobbed around in my basket almost falling out several times. I thought to myself: you need a basket liner. Blue Sky Confections you have the cutest one I have seen yet! You how I love a good pennant banner. I love Michele's Old Towel New Series. I profiled her clever washcloths on BlogHer. however, this sporty wristband also caught me eye. Blogilates has an adorable razor back tank top tutorial. I made this swim suit cover up for my daughter, but you could easily make an adult sized version. Even hardcore lap swimmers need something to wear to and from the pool. I get that bike riding safety is important, it is just unfortunate that helmets are typically so ugly. Jenn from Clever Girl revamped hers to make it look like R2D2. ***This is a sponsored post by I Love to Create - I was compensated & given free supplies. Mama has gotta pay the bills somehow and really who in their right mind would say no to free craft supplies***

I Love to Create - 20 Green Crafts for Earth Day

Earth Day is this weekend and what better way to celebrate than with a green craft. This is my 3rd year in a row to do this series. Check out 2010 and 2011 too! Go out grab some fabric scraps, plastic bags, Coca-Cola crates and of course your salad spinner and let's get crafty.


Collage Shoes - Revamp a pair of old shoes with a collage of fabric scraps.

Sensory Bottles - Save all your empty bottles to make some fun baby toys.

Bridesmaids Bouquet - Old plastic flower beads and vintage enamel flower brooches make for a lovely bouquet.

Fabric Frock Fanny - This fun collage project uses old chain, fabric and sewing patterns.


Plastic Bag Craft Smock - Plastic shopping bags keep your kids clothes clean!

Rolled Fabric Flowers - Use up your fabric scraps to make fun flower accessories.

Put a Bird On It Brooch - Have you seen Portlandia?

Second Place Picture Frame - An old shirt and second place prize ribbon transform a picture frame.


Elbow Patch Cardigan - Because everything is cuter with elbow patches.

New Chucks - Make an old pair of shoes new and fancy again with a coat of paint and some glitter.

Weenie Onesies - A thrift store onesie gets the one of a kind treatment with the help of some fabric scraps and Fabric Fusion Glue.

Coca-Cola Crate Advent Calendar - Vintage wrapping paper and an out of date coke crate are easily transformed into a festive advent calendar.


Scarf Necklace - Raid the thrift store for all the silk scarves and make yourself a unique necklace.

Thrift Store First Aid Kit - There are a few things every thrifter should have in their arsenal.

Jewelry Box - An old thrift store jewelry box is given a face lift with some Crafty Chica Paint, fabric and ric rac.

Robot Wrapping - Foil wrapped boxes make for some cute wrapping paper.


Salad Spinner Art - Who uses their salad spinner to spin salad? I use mine to craft.

Christmas Cutie - Make a stand-up paper doll with a vintage sewing pattern, Tacky Glue and scrapbooking goodies.

Make Your Own Coloring Book - Using scrap paper and some Tacky Glue you can easily make your own pad of paper or in this case coloring book.

Rubbing Plates - A set of discarded placemats and some glue make for some easy rubbing plates.

How are you going to celebrate Earth Day? Any fun up-cycling projects on your crafty horizon?

***This is a sponsored post by I Love to Create - I was compensated & given free supplies. Mama has gotta pay the bills somehow and really who in their right mind would say no to free craft supplies***

Losing the Baby Weight - 32 Pounds Later

I haven’t posted about my weight loss journey in a few weeks for a couple of reasons.

1) There was the fact that for a couple of weeks there was no weight loss to report. That inevitable plateau hit. I knew the easy weight loss salad days would eventually come to an end. However, now that my knee is better and Chris has a new job (read: we have insurance in case I hurt my knee again) I started my couch to 5k program again. I got me some new fancy tennis shoes and am on week 3. This week I am jogging 3 minutes and walking 2 minutes for a total of 30 minutes. I also put some air in my tires, found a perfectly good helmet at Goodwill and started riding my bike. All of these things together started my weight loss up again. Hooray!

2) The other reason I have not written is I was waiting until I had lost 30lbs. As of this morning I have now lost 32lbs since December. Remember the pictures from my sister’s wedding are what inspired me to start losing the baby weight. The dress I wore to Hope’s wedding was a size 16 now I can squeeze into a size 6 on a good day. I have now passed the original goal I set for myself and thought what the hell I will go for an extra 10lbs. I’m perfectly happy where I am now, but if I lose more weight I am not going to complain.


The tricky part is going to be maintaining this weight. As I’ve said before this is not my first time at the weight loss rodeo. We are still eating lots of vegan and vegetarian meals around here. This week we had our first bushel delievered from Johnson’s Backyard Garden. I went ahead and signed up for a 10 week subscription. It is a little daunting coming home to a giant box of fresh veggies. There is that sudden pressure to start cooking before everything goes bad. With this box I have made....

Carrot/Zucchini/Raisin Bread (using applesauce in place of oil and whole wheat flour)
Penne Pasta with Roasted Beet Sauce
Pesto Sauce – I used the beet greens, kale stems, bunch of basil, parsley and chickpeas in place of pine nuts. There is of course olive oil and parm cheese. So far I have used it on a whole wheat chicken pesto pizza. I have 3 more containers in the freezer for later use. Carrot ribbon pasta with pesto is on the menu for later this week.
Kale Chips
Spring Pea and Radish Salad
Sweet Chili Lime Tofu with Steamed Rainbow Kale and Quinoa

Luckily I love to cook and so does my husband. I’m also thinking of trying my hand at canning and food dehydrating, but that is another blog post.

So there you have it. Turns out that age old theory about eating less and working out more is true. I’m still doing Weight Watchers, but I must confess that my diligence about tracking has started to wane. If my weight loss plateaus again or I start to gain I will be right back to tracking. For the time being I have a good idea about what I can eat to not go over my daily and weekly points. Also, the more I work out the more points I can eat. So as long as I keep jogging and biking everything should be copacetic.

How are your new years resolutions for weight loss going?

I Love to Create - Neons and Nature Picture Frame

I have a real thing for neons and neutrals lately. You might recall my post entitled All-a-flutter For Fluorescents. There was also the neon cake pop display I made for my sister's bachlorette party. Then the real obsession with painted sticks started here with Going All Banksy on the Forest. Month's later my love for this color combination is still going strong. So much so that today for I Love to Create I decided to bring the neon to the neutrals yet again.


SUPPLIES
Picture Frame
Scribbles Paints
Paint Brushes
Masking Tape


You might recognize this wooden frame as a prop from the Little Lumberjacks and Jills party I recently threw for my kids. The frame was perfect for the woodland theme of the party, but did not fit in with the rest of my kitschy decor when the buffalo plaid came down. I didn't want to just donate the frame or give it away, instead I decided to give it the Naughty Secretary Club treatment. The first thing I did was using masking tape I taped off sections.


Using neon Scribbles paint I adorned my frame. Consider yourself warned that this takes several coats. I eventually added white paint to make the neon more opaque. A white base coat on the stripes might have been my best bet in retrospect.


Once the paint had dried completely I removed the masking tape to reveal the finished product. Ahhh, much better. My very own neons and neutrals painted frame. I love the two extremes of neons and nature together. Then again I would.

***This is a sponsored post by I Love to Create - I was compensated & given free supplies. Mama has gotta pay the bills somehow and really who in their right mind would say no to free craft supplies***

The Round Top Flea Market Review Spring 2012

The Round Top flea market finished up for 2012 last weekend. I'm already counting down the days until the fall 2012 show. I went for 2 days this year and besides having my picture taken with a moose I saw and scored oodles of treasures. If you are ever in the Austin/Houston area during the first weekends of April or October I highly recommend a stroll through the cow pastures of Warrenington, TX.




I'm feeling a bit at max capacity when it comes to kitschy stuffed animals today so I had to choose wisely. I did come home with the Alvin bubble bath bottle and plastic cow. At a $1 a piece how could I leave them? It was hard to pass up the crochet amaguri Gizmo. Bright light, bright light, bright light!


I usually come home from Round Top with at least one new addition to my Fisher-Price collection. This year I went outside my comfort zone with this rustic folk art bird house. Not my usual style, but the FP clock sold me on it. I have to say it looks pretty cute hanging on the wall outside my front door.




I love all the oddball things you see at flea markets. This jester molesting a naked mannequin on a hospital gurney was a personal fave. I am still thinking about this large carnival ride and how cute it would be in my back yard. As for the big sequined panda head, well you know how I feel about big panda heads. Can you really ever have too many?



My sister and I scored a pair of matching Abe Lincoln head planters. She spray painted her's hot pink (of course she did).




Did I mention I have an article up over at BlogHer today about how to shop a flea market with an up-cyclers eye? Check it out. I love the way someone up-cycled this bicycle tire to display pictures.



I kinda have a thing for string art lately. I loved this vintage piece and this store's logo done in ric rac.




I'm such a sucker for anything in bulk. In the case of these vintage plastic Santa doll heads I can resell them in my Etsy store. With the arrows and barrettes it is like I bought a readymade collection. Ever since I saw the arrows Danielle Thompson made to put in her son's room I have been dreaming of owning some vintage archery arrows. As for the barrettes I think the entire collection framed in a shadow box would be adorable hung in my bathroom or Tallulah's bedroom.




If I had it to do over I might have brought this set of gumball machines home with me. They had a few issues, but were actually really cheap. There is also a chest high metal dollhouse cabinet that I left behind and keep thinking of. However, if I bought everything this spring there would be nothing to look forward to this fall.

Craft Lab - Hipster Parasols & Fabric Cards.

Guess what? If you get up really early tomorrow morning and turn your TV to the DIY Network you and I can craft together. Yup, it's true. Every Monday morning DIY Network is airing episodes of Craft Lab with yours truly as the hostess with the mostess!


Monday April 9th 6:30 AM - DIY Network - Hipster Parasol - Lori Meeker Lori and I give an old umbrella on a one way ticket out of snoozerville and into the land of awesomeness. We will also be making some fun fabric scrap cards. Crafty lady about town Sarah Utter hangs out as a crafter too!


Speaking of parasols might I also suggest my polka dotted paper version!

I Love to Create - Baby Easter Basket

Last week for I Love to Create I made a toddler themed Easter basket for Tallulah and this week I am showing you a few options for the extra wee ones. This is technically Baxter's second Easter, but he was only about a month old last year. This year he is old enough to get a basket full of goodies and maybe even hunt for an egg or two. I was inspired by a post I saw on Modern Parents Messy Kids where they made activity oriented Easter baskets. Now that Baxter has been diagnosed with a fairly severe peanut allergy it is not like I can load the kids baskets up with candy. They don't need candy anyway, but now that we are living in a nut free world it seems like every chocolate Easter bunny is no longer a friend but a foe with hidden nuts. The suggestions I have for my baskets will entertain your kids for a lot longer than a piece of candy and there is no risk of a sugar buzz.


Even your Easter basket should be something fun to play with. Tallulah got the sand pail and Baxter gets a dump truck. Make your basket functional and not something cheap that will get thrown out. Heck, make your own out of recycled paper if you want. Anyway, both kids will get to use their baskets soon enough in the new green turtle sandbox their grandmother got them that I have filled with...wait for it....pink sand.


Like Tallulah not everything in Baxter's Easter Basket is handmade. Here are a few suggestions for baby baskets...

Bubbles (he is a little young for them, but his sister will help)
Socks (Can you really ever have too many?)
Stuffed Bunny (his sister was getting one so I thought he might like something to cuddle)
Bunny Glasses (futures so bright, I gotta wear bunny shades)
Ikea stacking rings (I have a plush version that is getting a little flacid)
My First Crayolas (he always watches Tallulah color longingly)
Board Book (nothing says Easter like pictures of cute puppies)
Flash Cards (who does not like to learn about animal sounds)

Ok, onto the stuff I did make!


Tallulah probably paints every single day. Poor Baxter just gets to sit on the sidelines and watch most of the time. Occasionally I will give him some pudding and put him on a piece of posterboard or in the tub and he has such a good time. Usually he just paints with chocolate pudding, but for Easter I decided to expand his color options.


Using empty baby food jars I used my trusty cheap pudding, but this time I chose vanilla and added food coloring. Nothing fancy, but I know he will love playing with this. I'll set him up outside one hot day soon and just hose him off when he is done. If he does not lick himself clean first.


Have you ever noticed most plastic Easter eggs have 2 small holes on both ends? I'm not sure why, but they do. These holes inspired me to try a version of a project I have seen on Pinterest where you engage a child's sense of smell.

SUPPLIES
Plastic Easter Eggs
Glue Gun
Aleene's Tacky Dots
Spices


I applied 2 Tacky Dots to both sides of the inside of my Easter Egg. Next I shook a separate spice into each egg. Use strong easy to smell spices like curry and cinnamon. I closed my egg and shook the spice around then opened up and dumped out the excess. Plenty of spice stuck to my glue dots. Next use a glue gun to seal your egg closed. I just did a blind smell test with husband and they totally work. A half dozen fit perfectly inside a small Max and Ruby tupperware.


Baxter is a little old for rattles, but I couldn't resist making one of these jars of rice. I have seen them all over Pinterest and Modern Parents Messy Kids made some for their baby basket. You can use the food coloring and alcohol method like I did with the pasta I dyed for Tallulah or you can just spray fabric dye from Tulip.


SUPPLIES
Rice
Tulip Spray Dye
Baby Food Jar
Aleene's Tacky Glue

I spread my rice out on a paper plate and sprayed with fabric dye. I let the rice dry and then tossed and sprayed again. All that was left to do was fill an empty baby food jar and glue the lid on.

Hopefully Baxter and Tallulah will spend hours upon hours quietly entertaining themselves with their baskets and the contents. Then again, maybe not. I should also mention that you should supervise all these activities with your wee ones. Things like glass rattles should be investigated on grass or carpet not cement or hardwood. You get the drift. Have fun and happy Easter!

Here are a few other suggestions of fun goodies to make for your babies Easter basket: stenciled onesies, customized bibs, sensory bottles, grandparent's puzzle, pull toy, booties.

***This is a sponsored post by I Love to Create - I was compensated & given free supplies. Mama has gotta pay the bills somehow and really who in their right mind would say no to free craft supplies***