Bride Running Gear

A friend is running the Boston Marathon with her fiancé and then getting married in Boston later that day. Girls Craft Night with wine and some yummy food and this is what we came up with!!

Stencils
Freezer Paper
Acrylic Glitter Paint
Sequins Ribbon
Fabric Blingy flowers

Simple basting stitch and button knots were the only sewing skills necessary!

Pre-School Teacher Gifts

A small token for Trevor's Pre-School teachers.  Yes, they are teachers.  Trevor told me all about Saturn, Mars, Jupiter and Earth last week!

The note reads:  "Thanks for being Trevor's "key" to success"

Easy Peasy:

1. Use 3X4" scraps of fabric
2. Place fabric "right" sides IN
3. Sew up a 4" side, across 3" and down the other 4" leaving a 3" side open
4. Mitre the corners with scissors
5. Turn outside, in- square out the corners
6. Insert 2.5X3.5 inch piece of Light HeatBond interfacing
7. Turn in the open edges like a pillow case
8. Insert 3" ribbon, folded in 1/2 with 1" sticking out
9. Iron it to seat the HeatBond and flatten it out
10. TopStitch around in a square to close, secure ribbon & flatten the fob
11. Paint & Glitter an old key just for gift giving decoration -or- spraypaint a new/blank key and use vinyl letters to put their name on it.

Craft Table Saga!

The lighting on my craft table tutorial pics are not great. I need to replace them this weekend!

Craft Table Bliss!

I finally have a HUGE workspace for sewing, cutting, crafting and storage!
It is missing the bins from the top shelves but they are perpetually out of stock at IKEA- I couldn't wait to post anymore!! 
Materials Cost = $190.00 (shelves, plywood, cutting mat, hardware)

Are you really going to sew...standing up?  Yes Ma'am (or Sir)...for most quick craft things that is easy peasy
If I needed to do a big project I could move out to the dining room table
I  am much happier with a tall table to stand at than a table I can sit at...
and it keeps projects farther from my precious 3 year old's little mitts!!


The extra large cutting mat means that my entire workspace is indestructible...almost!

The size of my new workspace- never has to be cleared away! 

The size of my old workspace at the dining table

2 more things that don't need to be put away anymore

Now- lets get down to how and how much??

Tons of storage...IKEA & Home Depot
Green bins- $3 each (IKEA)
White/short bins for top slots- $2 each (IKEA) these are perpetually out of stock but I will get them someday!
Khaki bins- $5 for 3 clearance (Home Depot)

Rectangular Drawer organizers- already had them so I am not sure how much they are, but they are cheap (IKEA)
This is on the inside/underneath the table since the Khaki bins don't fit the entire length of the bottom

IKEA Trofast Frame (kids section) $39.99 each
IKEA Trofast Wall Unit (kids section) $24.99 each
The wall unit is 1/2 the width of the shelves but it creates a nice extra flat shelf for freezer paper/bolts of fabric

Home Depot- Cabinet Grade Plywood On Sale- $23 per sheet cut down to 39X60 (free since first 2 cuts are free)
A lot of DIY craft table posts on Pinterest use MDF but if the guy at The Home Depot is right:
MDF does not stand up to moisture- at all...any water on it will make it swell
Since this is for crafts as well as sewing, it is possible that it could get wet...
that and my tea getting dumped over on it (it will happen...I am sure!)
Regular Plywood is cheap but it is not smooth and usually already bowing at the store
Spend the extra $5 and get a piece of cabinet grade plywood...say NO to slivers!


How do you make it sturdy?  I am sure there are many ways...but, this was the easiest and cheapest
Home Depot Wood Joiners- in the clamp aisle
*These are sharp (my finger still hurts where I grabbed one on the wrong end)*

Nail 4 on each end to join the cabinet to the wall unit
Use the remainder to secure the plywood to the wall unit
It is sturdy and HEAVY at this point so make sure it is right where you want it before you put it all together
This also takes at least 2 people since the shelves are white laminate and are slippery-
you need someone to sit on it while you join the unit together

2 wood joiners on each end

1 on each end and 3 along the length

The cutting mat is from JoAnn Fabric- It is normally around $80-100 for one this large (38X59)
Keep a look out for deals....I got it for $32.99 on a one day sale
The cutting mat was actually my inspiration to create the table and the reason it is 39X60
It is also what lead me to the Trofast at IKEA...the pieces are exactly 39 inches in length

I also chose to cover the plywood with fabric:
1.  to bring in some color and fun
2. to make it more versatile
3. to save myself time in having to finish and paint it (but you could do that)
4. it acts as a quick pin cushion on the edges of the mat

*if you look real close...my scrapbooking containers are on the floor underneath...
these shelves as a base are not the best option if you are a scrapbooker (which I am not)
since they do not fit in the shelves

And, if you come visit...it's still my guest room and you can have it all to yourself!

Different Valentine's Day Gift

The note says: Wishing you good "Luck-y" for Valentine's Day! A bag full of Lucky Charms- a nice break from chocolate! Who doesn't like a handful of Lucky Charms. Only 110 Calories too!

Overdecorating???

I think I need an intervention for the "cute" things I think of to do in Trevor's room. And, now with Pinterest in the picture....I am really in trouble. Anyway, I had the idea to spell Trevor's name in golf balls for his room. I had taken these pictures in Arizona (nothing quite like the Way the sun shines in AZ!). The craft productivity bug bit me this week. More pictures coming. And, if you didn't get a Christmas card...you might just get one next week....FINALLY!

Train Storage- New Use for an IKEA Bookshelf

I am a type A Mother.  I have recognized it, dealt with it and must embrace all that comes with that.  I have been known to clean and organize Trevor's room once he has fallen asleep. (Women who go through infertility treatments are 4X more likely to develop PPD and I am type A...I didn't have a chance!)  He probably thinks there are cleaning Fairies!  It is clear that my Type A personality is shaping Trevor for the good and not so good.  What Kind Of Mom Are You?

I digress...the point is to explain exactly why I came up with using an IKEA bookshelf as a "Train Depot".  Trains all over the place drive me nuts!  Trains piled into containers seem to be a slap in the face to the $15-20 price tag on these darn things!  And, last but not least...these trains are people to Trevor, they are his friends...I swear he learned his numbers thanks to Thomas and Friends.  Luckily, we have generous friends who have passed down their Train Table and tons of tracks and trains.  This means (because I cannot resist a Train and the look on T's face when he gets a new one) that we have a lot of trains.  Enter IKEA bookshelf!  Easy to install, cheap and the exact same length as the train table.  You can store about 60 trains if you "double park" them behind each other and still see at least 1/2 of their smiling little faces! 

ps. Bert and Ernie earn extra money on the side, policing the train depot for the night shift.  They are fierce security guards!

 

Giggling Troublesome Trucks might be my favorite things, ever!

Flea Market Decor

Bunk bed ladder, $10....way cheaper than shelves.  I found all the letters and Family on clearance at Tuesday Mornings and Target. *Pictures- Trevor, My Dad and my nephew Ronin.

You could also use slim hurricane candles in different heights since the selves are not on top of one another.  This would not work in our home since I have a toddler who plays basketball, golf, football and baseball in the house!

2009 christmas star

Finally getting things completed...2010 will be done quickly too, just need more glue for my glue gun.  No major burns this time either!  That hot glue gun will kill you.  See my 2008 Post for instructions.

Coloring Table- On A Budget

Start with some cheap ($6.99 ea) chairs from Tuesday Morning
A paper towel holder and 3M strips from Home Depot

Onesie Mania at SMU!

I stole this great craft idea from my friend Leslie.

Best craft project ever, and so easy. I sent out an email to everyone in the office inviting them to bring a onesie to decorate during our lunch hour on Wednesday and it was a HIT. People are asking our boss to have craft time, once a month, in the office now! But, we created 22 onesies in a variety of sizes for our good friend Ali's baby, Sophie.

Here is my contribution to the pile:

Adrienne gets "Best" for execution and real painting skills:

Christmas Star

Use 20 of your cutest photo and nicest holiday cards to create a yearly Christmas Star. Scale the pattern to fit your desired size. This one is a bit big for a tree ornament but looks great on a shelf or mantle. It's a fun way to decorate for Christmas and it doesn't matter if you never put it away! Be sure to arrange photo cards in a way that shows the cutie-pie baby faces all on one side and not creased in the middle of their face.
SUPPLIES: sharpie (to trace on photos), scissors or straight knife, hot glue gun, 5-6 sticks of glue, 20 cards, the pattern and a bit of patience.
Click Here and Here for patterns.

Playbills & Tickets

I have saved every plabill and ticket since my first show (A Chorus Line in 1985) and finally had the time to put them all together for some wall art in our house.

Large Poster Frame- $25 World Market
25 lb or heavy duty picture hanger for the wall (it's heavy)
Hot Glue Gun & Glue sticks
Double Sided Tape

The difficult part of this project is arranging them and then "flipping" it- in tact- without loosing it's shape or organization.  I chose to use the entire booklet for each playbill which made this heavy and difficult (especially as a solo project).  This is where the glue gun came in handy.  It also keeps anything from 'slipping' as the years go by as it hangs on the wall.  This was done 4 years ago and still looks perfectly placed.  I don't think tape would have held up as well.  I did use tape to arrange the tickets.