Independence Day Plates using Vinyl {and a Silhouette America Promo Code!}

First I want to wish a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to TWO of my younger sisters!  They were born on the same day, 3 years apart, and consider each other their best b-day present ever!  Happy Birthday, Amanda and Jennifer! I love you!

I recently contacted Silhouette America about becoming an affiliate with them.  I have had my Silhouette SD craft cutter for several years now and absolutely love it! I have made so many different things with it, from home décor to party decorations to kids’ school projects.  It is incredibly handy to have on hand. 

Silhouette made me a product affiliate.  This month they sent me a roll of their Strawberry colored premium vinyl to play around with and use to promote their products on my blog.  I have been racking my brain for awhile as to what I wanted to do with red vinyl.  Well, today I realized that the promo code they gave me for my readers to get 25% off their premium vinyl as well as a substantial discount on their craft cutters starts tomorrow!! 

So, this afternoon I realized I had to put the red vinyl to good use in a fast project!  Here is what I came up with!

I have this hutch from Ballard Designs that I absolutely love.  It’s a great place to keep bowls and platters and pitchers.  I try to change it up a little with the seasons and holidays.  I bought those blue plates at

Pinteresting Tuesdays: DIY Cake Plates and Treat Stands

I am in love with footed plates and bowls, as well as tiered plates and cupcake stands.  I noticed I have quite a few homemade versions on my Pinterest Things to Make page.  So I thought it would be fun to round them up here today. I have yet to make one of these, but I really want to.  There are some really fun ones!  These types of plates are so fun for parties and buffet tables.  They just really make things feel special!

3-D Shamrock Specimen Art {FREE Printable}

I made this yesterday and wanted to share it with you!…{free printable link below the break}

Lightening Fast Banner Project {ReMarkableHome.net}

The other day while making my big St. Patrick’s Day banner and waiting for my cute neighbor to get home from the craft store with glitter for me to finish it, I used some paper scraps to make this super cute little bunting banner!  It took about 10-15 minutes!  Isn’t it darling?

To make it simply.....

Learn To Make Tissue Pom Poms {Tutorial @ ReMarkableHome.net}

As promised, here is my little tutorial for tissue pom poms! They really are easy to do, especially these little ones.

Step 1. Get your layers of tissue.  The width of your tissue determines how big your ball will be.  For my St. Patrick’s Day banner, I used 7” tissue squares.  Typically, you use a rectangle…don’t ask me why I did squares.  The longer your rectangle, the fuller your ball will be.  You will need several layers of tissue.  For these I used 8 layers, but for a bigger ball I’d use 10 or 12.  Try to lay them out with the corners matched up.  Don’t worry if it isn’t perfect.

Step 2.  Accordion fold your tissue paper.  If you’re using rectangular tissue, start from the short end.  The size of your accordions depends on the size of your ball.  For these little guys my folds were about 1/2”.  For a 12” ball I’d probably do about an inch.  It doesn’t have to be perfect.  If your last fold isn’t the same size, don’t worry.  It will be fine.


Step 3. Use scissors to trim the ends. I trimmed mine round here, which makes for a flowery look.  You can also trim into a point, which looks more spiky.  You could even cut into it in a V.  Again, it doesn’t have to be perfect.


Step 4. Fold it in half to find the center.  Then use some wire or string to tie around the center.  If you’re going to hang them from the ceiling, make a little loop to attach your monofilament onto.  For these I just tied a knot and trimmed the string off later when I glued them onto my banner.  It doesn’t need to be super tight.  I usually pinch it slightly but some people leave them totally flat.  Either way is fine.  You just don’t want the wire or string slipping around.


Step 5.  Open up each side like a fan.  Then carefully start to separate the layers, pulling these top two together in the center.  Be careful not to rip the paper, but if you rip it a little don’t worry.  No one will notice!


Once you have them all separated you are done! See, I told you they were easy!  Isn’t it purty?

GLASS SIPPY CUPS {Project}

I posted a little while ago about using jars for cups in my home.  I am loving it!  I found an easy way to turn a jar into a sippy cup for my littlest one.  It is SUPER easy to do!

One of my readers recently suggested I buy a Cropodile tool to use to punch the holes when making my file folder organizers.  I thought that was a brilliant idea, so I used a 40% off coupon and picked one up at Michael’s last week.  Well, I was thrilled to read it would punch through thin metal! 

I used the Cropodile 3/16” punch to punch holes in jar seals.  It happens to be the PERFECT size for regular drinking straws to fit in super snuggly so that the liquid doesn’t leak out if tipped for a bit!  Aren’t those the cutest seals, too?

Some people might be thinking, “What?  A GLASS cup for a kid??”  My son is 2 and is past the stage of throwing his cups on the floor purposely.  He uses these up at the table.  If they do happen to drop, the glass is very sturdy and on my laminate floors they rarely break.  I love the idea of reducing plastics that come in contact with my kids food.  I also learned from my son’s old speech therapist that drinking through a straw helps little ones develop the mouth muscles necessary for speech.

So, needless to say, I am very happy about my new sippies.  Wish I could get rid of the plastic ones altogether, but we still need them for bedtime (water) and in the car. 

TIN STAR RE-DO {Craft}

Are you sick of my recipe posts yet?  I am!  It was time for me to get a craft done.  Here is a super easy, super fast re-do of an orange tin star I had laying around.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I simply spray painted the star white and added blue vinyl stars and red vinyl stripes.  I cut the stars with my Silhouette, but you could just use some cute stickers if you don’t have one.  I hand cut the stripes from a piece of red vinyl, but you could also just use some red tape which would be easier. 

Here is that hutch I was telling you about that my neighbor gave me.  Isn’t it cute?  I don’t have a lot of 4th of July decorations, but I am trying to get some things together to make it look cuter.  But this is how it is for now:

I want to paint this thing white and give it an old chippy finish.  Hopefully soon!!

PATRIOTIC MAP {Craft}

I have an antique hutch on my front patio that my neighbor gave to me after it didn’t sell for $30 at a garage sale she had!  I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!  I have started trying to decorate it for seasons and holidays.  But, I am a cheapskate so I don’t like to go buy things for it!  Anyway, I am trying to decorate it for 4th of July.  I have very few Americana decorations.  So, I thought I should make some things to go on it.

Well, another thing about me is that I am a lazy and impatient crafter.  I love to create and craft, but only things that don’t take too long.  A couple hours is about my max for a project.  I prefer quick and easy projects.  I am also VERY impatient when I am making something.  I HATE having to wait for paint or glue to dry.  I don’t like to stop to clean up.  Once I start something I just want to go, go, go ‘til it is done!

Ok, onto the subject of this post:

Sorry there’s a bit of a glare so the FREE is a bit hard to see.  But, I found a printable for this map graphic on I Heart Naptime!  You can find it HERE.  I printed it out on my printer and then I took some little scissors and carefully cut out the map.  I happened to have the perfect size piece of birch plywood in the garage….a scrap from a bed my son built in woodshop.  I took that piece of wood and painted the edges red with acrylic craft paint.

Then, I took a piece of this navy star fabric and cut it a little bigger than the wood.  I wanted to make the fabric look a little old, so I took some sandpaper to the surface.  See how it changed it?  The left side is normal, the right is sanded.  It is a printed fabric (the color is on the top only).

Then I applied ModPodge to the surface of the wood and placed the sanded fabric on it, using a credit card type tool to rub it down and press it to the wood well.  I let that dry for a bit while I took some fine sandpaper to the map to make it look a little less perfect.  Then I used my finger to add some distress ink to the paper to make the edges brown and dull down the white of the areas I had sanded. 

Next, I turned over the wood onto a cutting mat and used a sharp Xacto knife to trim the excess fabric.  I then flipped it back over and applied a layer of ModPodge to the fabric face.  While it was still wet, I placed the map onto it and pressed it down with the credit card again.  If you don’t want a distressed look be careful pressing it down because I noticed it scratched it a couple times.

Now, a GOOD and PATIENT crafter would have let that dry completely.  But because I am NOT that good and patient crafter I let it dry for about 10 minutes and then applied my final coat of ModPodge to the map face.  Unfortunately, that cause it to bubble in 3 or 4 places.  I poked those places with a pin and pressed the air out.  I don’t think anyone can notice it now but it was just a hassle.

Once it was dry I sprayed it with a coat of clear spray paint to eliminate the tackiness of the ModPodge.

All in all, it was a fast and easy project and I am really happy with how it came out! 

 

SUMMER SUBWAY ART {Printable}

I have been looking around for a cute summer subway art printable to put in the frame I have on my entry buffet.  Since I haven’t been able to find anything I loved, I decided it was time to try my hand at creating subway art.  Here is what I came up with.Isn’t it so cute???  I am really happy with it!  I created it in Microsoft Word.

I have decided to use this as a little incentive to get people to become followers of my blog.  I hope that’s not rude. 

If you would like this printable, just become a follower or email subscriber of ReMarkable Home and then email me to tell me you did and that you would like the file and I will send it to you.  My email is remarkablehome@gmail.com

EMBELLISHED STRAW HAT {Craft}

Well, after I finished the teacher appreciation gifts I decided to work on embellishing this straw hat.

One of my sisters was recently diagnosed with carcinoma skin cancer on her scalp.  She had to have a piece of her scalp removed to get the cancer.  The wound is healing nicely but the doctor has told her she has other pre-cancerous spots on her scalp.  She now has to wear a hat anytime she goes outside.  So, I wanted to find a hat for her to show her my love and support.  I picked this one up and thought I could embellish it and make it cuter for her.

I used THIS tutorial for fabric rosettes over on NatSprat.  It was pretty easy, but I think hers are cuter than mine!  I didn’t have any cute buttons, so I used some beads for the flower centers.  I think it turned out pretty cute.  I gave it to my sister today and she seemed to like it.  Hopefully she will feel kinda fun and flirty when she wears it!

Now I need to find a hat that will fit my own big head so I can protect myself from the sun as much as possible!!!

Teacher Appreciation Gifts {Craft}

I went to bed last night hoping to have a productive day today.  I woke up this morning feeling tired, achy from Boot Camp, and overwhelmed as my mind started swimming with a long list of things I need to accomplish.  So, I decided to get some of them written down before I tried to start tackling some things.

Notice I left off all the housework I need to do!  I probably have a whole other board full of things, but I figured this was a good start for today.

My sink was full of dishes from the night before so after I got my older kids off to school I tackled that mess.  Once I got that done, I moved on to doing a little crafting.  But then I saw that my craft space looked like this:

So, I decided to take time to “sharpen the saw” and straightened up my craft space.  I am a very messy creator…ask my husband.  He just LOVES it when I am in the middle of a project and it looks like a whirlwind has gone through the place.  Luckily for me he makes a great assistant and often cleans up behind me!  LOVE that man!

Well, the first thing I needed to get done was the teacher appreciation gifts for my kids to give to their teachers.  I found this darling subway art printable HERE.  I picked up some frames at WalMart and decided this was the way to go for teacher appreciation gifts…cute, simple, and easy!  Go download it now to save for next year or even an and of the year gift!

I had to make three because one of my sons has a permanent sub while his teacher is on bed rest.

I wrapped them up cute and made these tags with a space for my boys to write a nice note of appreciation to their teachers.  Thank heaven for my Silhouette!

Once I got this completed I actually did clean up my mess!  Good for me!  Then it was on to the next project, amidst caring for my two little ones, of course!  Stay tuned….

Stretch Bracelet Tutorial

I used to make and sell jewelry.  I enjoyed it for quite awhile, but then I grew tired of it.  I guess when I had my last baby I just was so overwhelmed I put jewelry making to the side and never really got back into it.  I still have all my supplies though.  I still enjoy it when I take the time to get my beads out and create something.  If you are one of those people who hates crafting because you somehow don’t get your projects finished and they end up hanging around your home for 20 years then jewelry making is for YOU!  It is so fun because it doesn’t take long to make something and then you have something you created that is finished!  AND you can wear it!

Stretch bracelets are the easiest thing in the world to make!  They take no time at all and no special tools.  They are a great thing for kids to make, too, because they help with fine motor skills.  Are you ready to learn how?

Here we go!!

You will need a couple things to make a stretch bracelet.  The first is the stringing material.  This is the one I like.  Stretch Magic.  It is pretty strong and doesn’t stretch out too much or too quickly.  It comes in different thicknesses.  I prefer .7mm because the .5mm is super fine and not very strong at all and the 1mm is too thick for the holes of many beads.  Some beads won’t fit on .7mm, especially things like pearls. 

You will also need some type of glue to secure your knot.  I just use clear nail polish.  I am sure there are jewelry glues you could use but most of you already have clear nail polish on hand and it works just great! (Don’t mind the teeth marks on the lid…You’d think a dentist’s daughter would know better!)

Now, you will need your beads.  Pick whatever suits your fancy.  There are millions of fun beads to choose from.  Place them on a piece of fabric or something so they don’t roll off your table.  Here are some of the ones I used in this bracelet.

OK, now you just thread them onto your Stretch Magic in whatever pattern you choose.  I had to re-do this one like 5 times because I was having trouble getting it to come out to the right length and still have a perfect repeat.  The average person wears a bracelet that is about 7'” to 7.5”.  If your beads are super fat, you will need to make your bracelet longer because when you make it into a circle the interior circumference will be smaller the bigger your beads are, and that is the measurement that needs to match up with your wrist.  This is the great thing about making your own jewelry…you can make it to fit you perfectly and fit the way you like it…looser or tighter, depending on your own preference.  So, here you see I have 7 inches of beads and I have a perfect repeat.

Now, you simply cut your Stretch magic so you have about 2” on each end.  Don’t cut it too short or you will have a heck of a time trying to get it tied.

Now, you are going to tie a knot around your finger like you would if you were tying a balloon.  See, you wrap both ends tightly around your finger cutting off your circulation, like so. (Please ignore my dry scaly skin)

Now, pull it through just like tying a balloon and pull it tight. Not too tight.  At this point you can make small adjustments to the placement of the knot by pulling your tails apart to shorten the length of the bracelet, or by pulling the bracelet on either side of the knot to lengthen your bracelet.  You can move it about 1/8” by doing this, sometimes a little more.  Once you get it so your bracelet lays nicely and the beads aren’t too tight against each other or too loose so that you can see plain cord it is in the right place.  Now, just pull gently to tighten the actual knot a little more. The knot below has not had the final tightening.

Now, you dab a bit of polish on either side of the knot to secure it.  You don’t have to wait for it to dry to proceed.

Now, trim the ends to between about 3/16”, that is right between 1/8” and 1/4”.  It is nice to end your bracelet with the bead with the largest hole.  This way, you can usually pull the knot inside the bead, if the hole is big enough.  Then you don’t have to see those little ends at all.

And here is the finished bracelet.  Isn’t it purdy??

I will be using this as one of the prizes in my next surprise giveaway for my followers!!

(PS.  Keep your metal beads in airtight containers or they will quickly tarnish.  Keep your jewelry in a tarnish free jewelry case or in airtight containers, like a little zip top baggie)

30 Minute Craft-Sea Glass Candles

I had these cream colored pillar candles that were totally dented up thanks to my wonderful children knocking the candlesticks over with various balls and other effective methods.  They looked like crap.  I wanted to get some blue candles because I was adding some blue accents to my kitchen.  I couldn't find any.  So, I came up with this instead

I picked up a couple bags of this sea glass at the dollar store and hot glued it to the outsides of the candles.  I actually used a low-temp glue gun so it wouldn't melt the candle waz too much.  I love the way they turned out and I feel happy I didn't have to trash the candles and spend the money to buy new ones.  In true "Keeping it Real" fashion, I will tell you that the back sides of the candles aren't covered because I ran out of sea glass!  I went all the way around the top rim and around the sides, but there is probably 1/3 of the circumference on the back that is bare:)  Better not try to use these for a centerpiece!