Mother's Day Gifts - Personalized Wall Hanging Tutorial

This Mother's Day, I wanted to make something special for my wonderful mother. But this particular Mother's Day was extra special for my family; my 89 year old Grandmother was in town, and my sister and sister-in-law have both had a baby within the last 6 months.  I wanted to do something special for all of them on this Mother's Day.  I didn't want to just buy them something, I wanted to make something personal, that would be special to each of them.  Here is what I came up with!

You could improvise this idea and  instead of a Bible verse, you could do a name and birth date for a new baby, a quote, memory, or whatever would be personal to you or the loved one you're giving it to. 

Supplies:

·         2 – 5” x 5” square wood blocks

·         Sandpaper

·         Black paint

       Foam brush

·         1 sheet of patterned scrapbooking paper

·         1 sheet of solid colored cardstock

·         Mod Podge

·         Photo – 4” x 4”

·         Double-sided satin ribbon

We start off with unfinished blocks.  

I got mine at Hobby Lobby for $1.33 each.

Sand them with sandpaper to smooth the edges, and help the paint adhere.

Paint them black (or your desired color)

Once they are dry, sand the edges to allow the wood to show through, creating an aged look.

Print out the desired verse or quote on a piece of solid card stock.  Cut into a 3 1/4" x 3 1/4" square.  I ripped the edges rather than cutting them to add to the aged look.

Cut the patterned scrapbooking paper into a 3 3/4" x 3 3/4" square. 

Apply Mod Podge to block, and back of scrapbooking paper.  Place paper on block, and apply more Mod Podge on top.  Apply Mod Podge to verse square, and place on top of scrapbooking paper.  Smooth out bubbles, and smooth a good coat of Mod Podge over all the paper. Let dry completely. Mod Podge will be clear when it is dry.

Attach 4" x 4" photo to second block with Mod Podge in the same manner.

Cut 1 yard of double-sided satin ribbon.  Attach with staples to back of blocks in a loop.

Tie extra ribbon at the top in a bow.

I was so happy with the finished product!

I bought brown paper bags, and cut the extra scrapbooking paper into a square to use as the name tag.  I attached it with skinny black ribbon, and packaged the wall hanging in white tissue paper. 

All the girls absolutely loved them! I hope this inspires you to make a personalized gift for someone special in your life.  Nothing is as special as a personal, homemade gift!

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Easy Gathered Skirt Tutorial

If you're looking for a super quick and easy skirt tutorial, this tutorial is for you! Some of the girls in my Junior Church class sang in the church service this past Sunday night, and I really wanted to make something for them to wear so they could all match.  I dreamt up this easy gathered skirt as my solution!
(I apologize for some of the pictures being blurry.. I had to make 6 of these in 1 day, and I was in a huge hurry!)

First I simply used the width of normal 45" wide fabric for the width of the skirt, and measured 24" down for the length.  I cut the length pieces, and trimmed off the selvage and the fold. 

I then put the front and back RST, and sewed a 1/2" seam allowance on each side.

The skirt then looked like this:  I then serged all the edges, but I forgot to take pictures of that

I then sewed a 1/2" hem on the bottom of the skirt. I ironed over 2" at the top.  I set my sewing machine on a wide zig zag stitch, and stretched and stitched the elastic on to the edge of the 2" casing.

The elastic needs to be cut quite a bit smaller than the finished measurement, since the elastic doesn't stretch back as small after being stitched.

I took black embroidery floss and stitched a loop on each side to keep the belt in place

I added a black satin belt

The skirts turned out so cute and looked great on the girls! I will try to remember to get pictures of them wearing them finished!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Treasury Love!

For those of you who practically live on Etsy (and blogs) like me (whenever I'm not glued to my sewing machine that is), I love treasuries! They're super fun to create, browse through, and be featured in like I was today!

My ADALYN bag was featured in this treasury 

Tasha created this beautiful treasury, and I wholeheartedly agree with the title! I'm so honored to be featured among so many talented and creative people! Check out the great items HERE

A great tip from a great blog!

Okay so here is a perfect example of why I love blogs! I am always inspired by everyone's creativity, and I love tips like the one I'm going to share today!

Ruffles and Stuff is a wonderful blog that I highly suggest following! The post today was so helpful to me I just had to share!

I may be the only one with this problem, but when it comes to taking pictures of aprons or clothes on people, I have the biggest issue with creating a nice, clean backdrop. Since I live in the desert and my backyard is a lovely backdrop of block walls, it's hard to find a professional, clean background to my photos! I can hardly wait to try this idea!

Your simple project starts with these:

Yes, those are shower curtain rings!


Go HERE to Ruffles and Lace to learn how to create this:

Eye Candy

Some days, you just need some eye candy! Anthropologie is always a great resource for inspiration. These items will get you in the mood for spring and summer!

I love how feminine these shoes are!

This dress is bright and sunny, yet delicate and vintage inspired with the ruffles! I love the combination!

Would love to make a knock-off of this necklace!

I am SO in love with this color!!

I hope that eye candy inspires you to create something beautiful!





I'm baaack!

I cannot believe how time has flown by since my last postings! Christmas came and went (and I scored a new sewing machine from my sweet husband!) Now a new year is here and all of a sudden spring has sprung! I am truly blessed with the wonderful life I have, though not without its trials! There have been many changes in my life the last year, and lots of creativity I have been slack in sharing! I plan to change all that! Keep tuned in for tutorials, links to other great blogs and ideas, new projects, shop news, and other randomness!