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!

Lucky in Love 3D Shamrock Art {Tutorial} [Create with Me March Project]

I am excited to show you my Create with Me project for March!  Here it is!  I will show you how I made it. But first I have to tell you a little about it.  I am not a lucky person!  I don’t win things, I don’t find money, I just don’t have great luck! But, there is one thing I am extremely lucky in….Love!  I am so stinking lucky to have found myself the world’s BEST husband!  Seriously.  He really is the most wonderful husband imaginable.  He treats me like a queen! He is so kind and loving to me.  He never says mean things to me, even when we are arguing.  He always supports me in the things I want to do.  He tells me I am beautiful all the time…like every day…and he means it.  He helps me around the house tons!  He would do anything to make me happy.  He is absolutely wonderful to me and I am the luckiest girl in the world to be married to him!  So, to commemorate my unbelievable luck when it comes to love, I made this:

Here’s how to make it:

Introducing: PINTERESTING TUESDAYS @ ReMarkable Home

There’s just no way I can create ALL my own content for this blog if I expect to post regularly. I just can’t do it. So, although I don’t want my whole blog to turn into a blog featuring other bloggers, I do want to devote some posts to featuring other bloggers’ content.

I am a Pinterest Junkie! When I am waiting in the carpool line or have a minute to sit down, I love to browse Pinterest on my phone. The amount of ideas on there is just amazing. Sometimes I have to take a break from it because it can be overwhelming. You pin about a million things you want to do and pretty much never get around to doing any of them!

But Pinterest is a great way to find ideas or inspiration for anything and everything. Lately, I’ve been looking for St. Patrick’s Day ideas. I’ve been Googling and Pinning things I find. And I’ve been re-pinning things I see on Pinterest that I like.

So, today I am going to be sharing some St. Patrick’s Day wreaths, because I just adore wreaths and aspire to have one (or ten) for every holiday.

When you click these pictures it will take you to the pin on Pinterest.  Then click the pin and it will take you to the source where you can find tutorials or purchasing info!

I LOVE THE FUN RIBBON ON THIS ONE!

Source: sheskindacrafty.com via Emily on Pinterest

I LOVE THESE FABRIC SCRAP WREATHS. MY OLDEST SON MADE ME ONE WHEN HE WAS ABOUT TEN!…

Source: cantkeepablog.blogspot.com via Emily on Pinterest

ISN’T THIS NEXT ONE FUN?......

Matchbox Valentines

I made these adorable matchbox valentines for my family last year.

My kids ones were small matchboxes and my husband’s was a large matchbox.  I got them at the dollar store.  They were very fun to make.  I just covered the outside with wrapping paper.  I simply wrapped the box like a gift and trimmed the open edge flush.  I lined the “drawer” with paper as well as the front edge.  I used paper embellishments and the “drawer pull” is simply a brad that I painted with nail polish.  You could find some cute heart brads in the scrapbook section at the craft store. 

Each box had an accordion folded love note inside.  I just love how they turned out!

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! 

 

BIRTHDAY COUNTDOWN {Craft}

I had to show you all this ADORABLE Birthday Cake Block Countdown I found over on Holiday Snob.  Head on over for the Tutorial.  I suggested putting (Today’s My Birthday or It’s My Birthday on one of the other sides on the bottom block and then displaying the child’s age on the top block.  You might need to make another block with numbers 7, 8, 10, 11, 12 and 13 on it.  Six can be used as 9.  Anyway, I think this is just sooo cute and how exciting for kids??

COUNTDOWN BLOCKS {Craft}

Remember these?

I picked them up at Goodwill for like $1 or $2.  I turned them into these countdown blocks.

I just painted the edges white with some acrylic craft paint.  Then, I used my Silhouette to cut squares of paper to fit on the sides.  I have two blocks with different holidays/events on them.  I used themed paper to go with the holidays.  On the other blocks I used black and white papers.  I saw this idea over on How Does She a long time ago.  I thought it was so cute.  But I wanted it to be for more than just one holiday. 

I used vinyl for the numbers and words.  On one block I have the numbers 0,1,2,3,4,5 and on the other 0,1,2,6,7,8.  You use the 6 as a 9 also.  On the Days ‘til (which is just realized I have the apostrophe in the wrong place!) I also did Weeks ‘Til and Hours ‘Til.  I did all the big holidays, plus summer, birthday, fun, vacation.  The kids are enjoying using them and I think they turned out pretty cute.

To adhere the paper, apply a thin layer of modpodge to the block and add your paper.  use a credit card edge to burnish it down well.  Repeat with all the sides, allowing the ModPodge to dry.  Once it is dry you can then apply a thin layer to the outside of the paper.  This keeps it from bubbling.  Once all the mod podge is dry, you can use a clear spray paint to coat the outsides.  You must do that with modpodge or it will stick to things even once it is dry.  You can then apply your vinyl.  Alternately, you could cut letters and numbers from paper with punches or die cutters or free hand.  You could also use stickers.  If you do paper, attach them with a glue stick or a little ModPodge before you coat the face of the paper with ModPodge. 

For those in Vegas I saw blocks like these at Marshall’s for like $4 and it was a longer word for maybe 6 or 7 or 8 blocks.  They had a few of them.

BEST. SUMMER. EVER. {Paper Craft}

We have a wall in our stairwell.  Years ago we followed a tradition of my husband’s family and created a picture wall on that blank space.  The picture wall was just hundreds of snapshots stapled to the wall so that they overlapped.  There were a few enlargements as well.  We would put up pictures of our friends and family and cute shots of our kid or pictures of memorable events.  It was fun.  But I got tired of it having no rhyme or reason.

So, I decided the pictures needed a frame to go in.  So, down came the pictures.  I got some molding to make a frame, but was too afraid to attempt it on my own.  So, maybe a year later my younger sister Jennifer, who is very handy and knows how to build things, came into town and helped me get the frame up.  After that I just needed to fill the nail holes and paint it and then re-hang the pictures.  Well, 4 or 5 years later I still haven’t gotten it done!  This is the story of my life.  We lived without a sink in our downstairs bathroom for about 4 years because it took me that long to complete the project of a vessel sink made from a bowl on a little antique dresser.

Anyway, since I never painted the frame and put the pictures back up, this space has been used for some different things.  Currently, it is housing our SUMMER TO-DO LIST, which is the main topic of this post!  Here it is!

I cut 12x12 paper (this is from Wal-Mart) into quarters so I had 6x6 squares.  Then I made 4x4 squares with the activities printed in them.  I used 8 different fonts.  I attached the white squares to the scrapbook paper squares with double stick tape.  Originally I was going to do a banner with these, but I got a little carried away and made close to 80 squares!  So, the banner would have been longer than my house!  So, instead, I used sticky tack to put these up in my frame.  They make it look must more cheerful!  Don’t mind the old paint.  There is also a hole one of my precious boys kicked in the wall when he was mad!  Aren’t kids so fun???!!!

Now, I want you to know this is not perfect.  Nothing I do ever is!  Do they fit in the frame perfectly??  NO.  Are the squares perfectly square?  NO.  Did my printer cut off the border on some of the squares?  YES.  Do I dislike one of the fonts I chose?  YES.  But, since I am fighting perfectionism I just let all of these things be.  It doesn’t change the fact that we are going to have a super fun summer!  My kids are VERY excited about all these activities.  I am hoping it keeps them from being complete couch potatoes this summer.  But, I must admit I am worried I will not be able to keep up with this plan!!!

For those who might like to see my list more clearly, here it is!  ALSO, we will be needing friends to accompany us in some of these activities.  So I hope some of my Vegas friends will let me know what they would like to do with us!

LITTLE MAN BABY SHOWER {Party}

Decorative items for this shower can be purchased HERE.

Well, the shower went off without a hitch.  I will admit it was a TON of work for me….much more than I anticipated.  I was exhausted by the time the party started!  But I think all the guests had a nice time and enjoyed themselves and hopefully my sister was happy and felt loved. 

So, I am just going to post a ton of pictures from the shower.  I had some trouble taking some of the pictures due to the time of day and lighting in the room.  Hopefully you will still be able to see all the little details.  In the coming days I will post recipes for the food.  Enjoy!

How to make this printable HERE

I wanted to do something a little different with the cupcake toppers than I have seen before.  So instead of just scalloped circles I did scalloped squares and pinked circles, each in 3 different colors.  I love how they turned out! HERE is my tutorial on making cupcake topper graphics.

Cupcakes made by my sister Melinda.  We use an icing coupler to pipe the frosting because we could never find a big enough tip.  The coupler is the little white thing that makes it so you can switch out the tips on your pastry bag.  You have to find one without a little notch in it though.

CUPCAKES!! VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Garland inspired by THIS party.

The onesies were made with heat transfer vinyl I cut on my Silhouette.

GARLAND VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

These hanging garlands spun around slowly all night.  Here you are seeing the back side of several of the circles.  I connected the shapes using clear fishing line and clear tape.

This was a fall colored wreath that I had spray painted white.  I added the ribbon and fabric rosettes to match my color scheme.  The twinkle lights gave a nice effect during the shower.

FOOD TABLE VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Vinyl mustaches on plastic cups.

Stamped paper plates…how to HERE.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa (Made by my sister Molly)

Homemade Chips (made by my sister Molly)

Italian BOWTIE Pasta Salad (Made by my sister Laura)

Cucumber Water (SUPER refreshing!)

Oreo Truffles

Pretzel “Cigars”

Bowtie Sugar Cookies (made with a homemade cookie cutter)

Triple Dipped Strawberries (made by my sister Maggi)

Baby Caleb all dressed up + the favors.

Chocolate mustache molds can be found at Bake It Pretty

Four of my cuties in disguise!

To purchase some of the decorative items from this shower, please look here