DIY Ribbon Lei Version 2

Good morning!


I promised you another ribbon lei today - so here it is!


I think this one is just beautiful and really looks like some type of Hawaiian flower! It can be done in any color combination of your choosing. I have not made one yet, but I am planning on doing one this week! 


I'm thinking I will use nylon thread or even fishing line since it is not only invisible but also very strong and difficult to break and will make this lei last for a long time. Don't you just love this version? I thought you might.


You know what to do - follow the link - and get to creating!

DIY Ribbon Lei v2:

Big, huge thank you again to Penga at sakacon.com!

Have a marvelous Monday!  See ya soon!

DIY Ribbon Lei Version 1

Good afternoon! Hope your weekend has been fantastic so far!

Well, it's June already. Can you believe it? So it's graduation time again.  Whether it be graduation from high school, college, pre-k, kindergarten or middle school - it's something to be proud of and celebrate!

Last year I posted about money and candy leis. This year I want to show you ribbon leis. They are easy and very pretty.  I like the solid color as well as the combo colored one! Which is your favorite?

If you have a graduation this year - this would be a nice addition to the money or candy lei.  I'm told that you can never have enough leis!!! So follow my link to get the scoop on how to make them:

DIY Ribbon Lei v1 This is instructions for the solid colored lei.





DIY Ribbon Lei v1.1 This is step by step for the double colored lei.


I want to extend a great big thank you to Penga of sakacon.com for the tutorials!


Well, that's it for now but tomorrow I have another ribbon version from Penga to show you so stay tuned.  Have a wonderful evening and see ya soon!!

PVC Mother's Day Bud Vase

Good Monday morning! 

Short post today.  Mother's Day is right around the corner and this project is perfect for the Mom who has everything.  What Mom wouldn't want a custom picture bud vase to admire along with some pretty flowers? I know I would love it.

Follow the link to see what's up:

Mother's Day bud vase from a PVC pipe. ~ Mod Podge Rocks!

Thanks to Mod Podge Rocks! for the tutorial!

Have a super Monday - see ya soon!

Easy-to-Make Vases

Good afternoon!

Spring has sprung and with that comes Mother's Day and Teacher Appreciation Week. Today's vases would be appropriate for both of them! 

As you may have noticed by a few of my previous posts - I am a fan of the Lowe's Creative Ideas website as well as their monthly publication.  This is one of their projects. It appears to be fairly easy to make. These vases are quite unique and would be great in any color to match any decor!

So if you know a deserving teacher or are looking for a new way to give Mom flowers - check out the link to get started!

Easy-to-Make Vases - Lowe's Creative Ideas

Don't they just make you think of spring and summer?

Hope your day is fantastic - see ya soon!

Love Juice Valentines - CUTE

Good Afternoon! A big birthday goes out to my friend Michele and her husband Rich.  Today is their birthday - and yes you read that right - husband and wife with the same birthday! And they are only a year apart in age! So big wishes go out to them today.

February is right around the corner and I've begun thinking of Valentine's Day. So today's post is an idea for your kiddos classmates.  I have done this in the past and they turned out very nice and were relatively inexpensive to do even for a larger class of children.  Wanna know how - go here:

Love Juice Valentines

Are they sweet?  Thanks to Kalleen of atsecondstreet.blogspot.com for the printable as well as for showing us how!!


Have a super day and I'll see ya soon!

DIY Votive Candle Holder

Happy New Year's Eve to one and all! Party plans abound I'm sure.  Just please be safe and don't drink and drive.    

This is a very special day for me because it is my 18th Wedding Anniversary!!  That's right - we got married on New Year's Eve at 9:00pm 18 years ago.  It seems like yesterday and I love my husband as much today as I did then - even more if that's possible! To my hubby - I Love You, Steve, and Happy Anniversary!

Today my post is a wood project.  I love the colors that were used and the decorations aren't really my style but they look awesome so I may have to give them a try.  You can always make any project your own just by using your creativity and this project is no exception.  Different colors, different decorations - whatever your heart desires.

I think these are quite lovely and would be very nice gifts as well. Thanks to Tatertots and Jello for the how to!  Go here to see more: DIY Candle Holder 

Have a safe and happy new year celebration! See ya soon!

Cute Sock Cupcake Stocking Stuffer

Hey, everyone! The time crunch is upon us.....

If you're still looking for a cute stocking stuffer - I've got one for you today!

Who doesn't love a pair of warm fuzzy socks!  How about fuzzy sock cupcakes to help fill those stockings?  Cute, huh?

Here's how:  Christmas Fuzzy Sock Cupcakes

Have fun 'baking' your cupcakes! LOL

See ya soon!

Wine Glass Snowman Votive Holders

Good morning!

My son is keeping a close watch on the calendar this year!  He informed me this morning that it is 10 days until Christmas....to him that seems like an eternity, but for the rest of us it's push time, right?

Today I want to show you these cute votive holders that are made from wine glasses.  I couldn't agree more that these would be cute teacher's gifts!  I wish I had come across them before now since we've already purchased this years teacher gifts.  But alas, there is always next year!

Wanna make some?  Check it out here: Snowman Votive Holder

I personally love snowmen and I love that they can be used into the new year because for me they just signify winter! These things are cute, cute, cute!  And it appears to be fairly easy to make them, too!

Thanks for looking and have a great day!  See ya soon!

Santa's Coming Early!!!

Hey everyone!

I am so excited!  Santa is coming to our house early this year!!

I'm sure that the rest of you already know the wonders of owning a Keurig, but we are a little slow on the uptake.  However, we finally decided to go for it!!  I love the versatility and can't wait for it to get here. Here's the one we are waiting to arrive:

Don't you love the color?  It's called Cinnamon! 

One of our favorite coffees is available in K-Cups - Gloria Jean's Coffee! I can almost taste it now. And better yet, we are going to also get the cool reusable filters that are compatible with many of the Keurig brewers from a company called Ekobrew.  You just fill them with your own favorite coffee, and drop it in the brewer and away you go!  The k-cups will be fun for some things, like hot chocolate or tea or even iced coffee, but for everyday these Ekobrew Reusable Filters will be awesome!

I originally had wanted a Tassimo, but after doing some research I was convinced that the Keurig fit our needs better.  I think the Tassimo would be great if you could get a reusable filter for it - unfortunately none are available, so far.

Anyway, I couldn't be more excited and I'll let you know how my first cup tastes after our brewer arrives - hopefully in the next day or so!!!!

Have a fantastic over the hump day and we'll chat soon.

Cool Picture Bracelet!!!

Hi, everyone!  Hope your weekend was great.

With Christmas quickly approaching, are you just starting your shopping or are you finished?  Unfortunately, I'm further behind than normal this year! Usually I've gotten most of the shopping done and just need to wrap.  This year I'm still trying to figure out what to buy!

I came across this item a while back and I thought that if you had someone who is hard to buy for that this might make an interesting gift.  I know that cuff bracelets are big right now.  The best part is this is a custom bracelet designed by you.  It uses your photos, the colors of your choice and it makes it unique to you.  Go here to find out how to get yours: PicktureThat

I really like that $1.00 of every bracelet is donated to an organization that is making a difference for others.  Check out their Give Back page for more information.  

I'm not sure about the exact size of this bracelet.  It appears to be quite large and chunky. But isn't that the style right now?  Anyway, I thought they were unique and different and I wanted to pass it along to you.

Have a great Monday!  See ya soon!

Skinit Promo

Happy Saturday!

I recently found this site and since my son is getting his very own tablet for Christmas I wanted to customize it for him. It was super easy to do. I designed the skin for the tablet on the 18th and got an e-mail telling me it shipped today! But, if you don't want to design it yourself there are BUNCHES to choose from on the site.

Just about any device you can think of has a skin available - iPhones, MP3s, laptops, tablets, e-readers, smartphones. You name it - they've got it!  Even if you don't want a skin - there are cases, sleeves, protective covers to pick from, too.

I was so happy with my experience that I wanted to tell you about it and pass along their current promotion. I believe you can alternatively choose free economy shipping instead of the free skin. So take a few minutes, follow the link, and check it out if you're in the market for a 'skin' or case for your device:  Free Skinit Offer:

Have fun bringing your devices to life!  Have a great day.  Chat with you soon!!!

DIY Wooden Doormat

Good morning and hello weekend!!  It's been a busy week of homework - spelling words, vocabulary, math, science and reading!  I swear I don't remember having this much homework when I was in the 4th grade.  I understand that homework is for practicing what you learn but....it just seems that there's always an awful lot of it!

Anyway, on to today's post!  I just love DIY projects and this one is no exception.  The monogram is unique but even without it I think this doormat would be very nice.  The steps to make this are very simple and I'm sure it wouldn't take any time at all to get your very own doormat.  

Interested?  Go here to get the scoop:

DIY Doormat | The Accent Piece:

Thanks to the Accent Piece for this project. The only change I might make is to add a few strips of non slip tread (prevention of it getting slippery when it rains and gets wet). But other than that I just love this project.  

These would make an interesting gift especially for those people on your list who have everything and are hard to buy for! 

Have a great Saturday - see ya soon!

Towel Cake

Hello there!

Well, the 1st day of school has arrived.  Melancholy is the best way to describe how I'm feeling today.  The summer always goes soooooo fast. But, we are looking forward to a terrific school year!

So - I've been wanting to show this project to you for some time now.  I just kept forgetting to upload the pics!  

Anyway, my hubby's cousin got married a couple of years ago and I wanted to make a towel cake as a bridal shower gift.  I knew we wouldn't be able to attend because of distance, but I was anxious to try my hand at this unique gift idea for the soon to be Mr. and Mrs!

I had seen a picture somewhere in the past and knew that eventually someone would get married so I could do this.  It was fairly simple.  Hard to tell that it is 2 complete bath towel sets, isn't it?  The bottom is the bath towels, the middle is the hand towels, and the top is the wash cloths. There are many tutorials out there and I honestly don't recall where I actually saw this but I'm sure finding a tutorial would be fairly easy.  I made this in an afternoon.  

The wedding party colors were pink and black so I wanted to stick with those colors. Added some beads, ribbons, and flowers - but basically it's up to your vision as to how you decorate it.  The towels are rolled and pinned with hat pins to keep them in place and then set on a dowel to keep them aligned and steady on the "platter".  As a finishing touch I decided to wrap the entire thing in tulle with curling ribbon since it was being shipped and I wanted to insure that it got there in one piece (and it did!!!).

Have you ever made a towel cake?  If so, I'd love to see them!

Have a great Thursday!  See ya soon.

Custom Paper Beads

Good Afternoon!  Hope all is well with everyone.

The 1st Day of School is drawing closer. We are down to 2 weeks.  I keep saying I can't wait, but in truth it will be strange to be home alone at first. It will take some time to get back into a routine!  I know that Cristian is not looking forward to the earlier bed time.  But having enough sleep is essential even though he doesn't realize it!  At least he will have a long weekend over Labor Day which coincides with his birthday this year!  

I'm loving the earrings from today's post.  Wouldn't they make nice teacher appreciation gifts?  Or a cute stocking stuffer for your favorite gal pal!  It really doesn't matter for what reason - just make 'em!  See how here:

How to Make Custom Paper Beads

Super cute and lightweight to wear anytime.  Why make them as a gift?  Do them for you and the shear pleasure of making something cute for yourself!  Enjoy!

Have a great day and see ya soon!

Money Flowers for the Graduate

Good Morning!

It's now graduation time and this would be a unique way to give your graduate the gift of money.  She would certainly love a bouquet made of money flowers!

Not only would this be nice for the graduate but also for a birthday or even a retirement or bridal shower or.....well you get the picture.  Anytime money is the intended gift this might just fit the bill!  Go here to check out how to make it and see the full bouquet:

Polka Dot Pineapple: Tutorial--Ruffled Flower Money Bouquet

Have a super day!  We'll chat soon.

Photo Blocks and Stamped Lucky Penny for EOG

Happy Saturday!!

As promised, I am posting about the project for the 1st graders in my friend Michele's classroom.  She was looking for something to give them as an end of year gift along with the Shutterfly Memory book that she traditionally does.  (If you've never done a memory book at shutterfly you really ought to - hers always comes out so darling!!)

Anyway, I digress.  Here is a picture of the sides of the photo blocks (I just noticed that I forgot to include the group pic side - oops):

I think they came out very nice and hope the kids and their parents like them.  They were not hard to make at all - it just took some planning and time.  I've seen photo block tutorials all over blogland and was tickled to be able to make some for Michele. 

I wanted to do them with Mod Podge but since they needed to be ready for next Tuesday that made it difficult to do since it requires several coats and drying time in between!  And with 18 blocks to make it would have been a long process!!!  So I had to come up with an alternative plan.  I decided instead of using Mod Podge I would laminate the pictures for each side and affix them with glue.  And you can see the end result above!  If you want to try your own here is what I used.

Supplies:

(1) 4x4 pressure treated post, 6 feet in length and cut into even sized blocks

hand sander and 80 grit sandpaper

white acrylic paint (we did 3 coats)

foam brushes

pictures or graphics printed on plain paper (ours are 6 sided but next time, only 5 with cork on the bottom would be better)

laminator and laminating sheets (i used my Purple Cow laminator and 3 mil sheets)

scissors

cotton swabs

Elmers AND Krazy Glue

Making Them:

My Darling Husband cut the post into 3.5" square blocks for us and Michele and I sanded and painted them.  We came up with the designs and pictures we wanted to use (I used PSE 9.0) and then printed them on plain paper.  That worked well since they ended up getting laminated and were thin and easy to adhere smoothly onto the block.  (FYI - the dimension of the graphics were 3.25 x 3.25) Cut them out. To affix them I put a dab of good old Elmer's school glue on the center of the side I was working on and spread it with a cotton swab. Then the Krazy Glue went directly on the laminated pics edges to insure they stuck well.  I suppose there are other glue products I could have used, but I had Elmer's and Krazy glue on hand!  As I said before, next time I would only do 5 sides and put cork on the bottoms of the blocks. 

And there you have it!  Photo Blocks 101 - LOL!!!!  Here's a close up of one of the sides (we're the Belmont Bees - can you tell??):

(Sorry about the flash glare!)

And I took a picture of Cristian's EOG Lucky Penny since I forgot to do that before I sent the set to school for his class.  I used all different colors behind the poem and Cristian got a green one!  Take a look:

My husband and I came up with the poem.  The kids were a nervous wreck about the End of Grade tests they were going to take.  We hoped this would be a confidence builder along with the cards of encouragement that each parent sent for their child on the days of the test.  I shined up 54 pennies and stamped the word lucky on them.  Then put the whole thing in a little bag that I found in the craft section at Walmart.  Cute, huh?

Well, I've rambled on long enough today....  Have a wonderful Saturday!  See ya soon. 

Graduation Money, Candy, and Coin Money Leis

Aloha!  It's Friday and the 3rd of June!

June is usually a happy time of year.  End of the school year, graduations, and weddings fill the calendar.  These projects make me think of graduation and are definitely a unique way to give money to the lucky graduate!!

Maybe you have a graduate on your list this year - why not surprise them with a lei!  Check 'em out and give it a try!

Money Leis



Candy Leis



Coin Money Lei

Wouldn't you like to get a lei made of money or candy?  I think the candy ones would be cute for an end of year gift from a teacher to her students - or kiddos graduating from Kindergarten....hmmmm, just a thought!

Hope this post gave you some inspiration from the islands for a different way to give the gift of money!!  Have a 'fantabulous' Friday!  I'll see ya soon.

(Pssssst!!! Tomorrow I'll show you the completed project that I've been working on for my friend Michele's 1st graders!!  So cute!)

Paper Beads

It's June - Hip Hip Hurray!!!

We are having the super hot weather right now - it seems like summer has come early this year.  Yesterday it was 99 - I hope this isn't a precursor to what the rest of the summer will be like!!

I have always been fascinated with crafting.  And this particular craft is no exception!  Isn't it amazing to think that these beads were at one time a page in a magazine, or a sale paper that we all throw away as junk mail?  What a terrific way to recycle or upcycle (which ever tickles your fancy)!!!

If you've ever wondered how to make these beauties, I've found an awesome website here: Paper Beads - Jewelry Made From Recycled Paper

Aren't they Pretty and Unique???

So hop on over and give it a try - I know they are on absolutely on my to do list!!  When I get to them I'll be sure to show you!

Have a great June 1 and we'll chat soon!

Single Serving Pie in a Jar!!

Good Saturday to everyone!  I know I've been MIA the last few days but between blogger being unavailable and the addition of not 1 but 2 retriever mix puppies to our family - it's no wonder! 

I came across this site the other day and I just think these are ingenious!  They would make cute gifts for many occasions - teacher appreciation, at Christmas time for your hair stylist, your letter carrier, or your friends.  They would be cute hostess gifts, too.  They are even great little desserts at the end of a special meal!

Wanna know how to make them?  Here's the site: Our Best Bites

This site is terrific and I'm sure you'll find so many other things that strike your fancy!  So go check it out and enjoy the rest of your Saturday.  See ya soon!

Gift Card Bracelet - What?

Hey there!  How is your Thursday so far?  Mine is starting off with a stiff neck so today's post will be quick.

Yes, you read the title of my post correctly - it's a bracelet made from a Walmart gift card!  Upcycled or Recycled?  Well whichever it is, it is very lightweight and came out even better than I expected.  I saw this idea somewhere a while back, but it was done a little differently.  I wanted it to be as feminine as possible - I hope I've achieved it with the addition of the beads on the connecting jump rings.

So the next time you're at Walmart, get a gift card and give it a try.  Or go to our Studio at eWillow and pick up one for yourself (free shipping in the US)!

Thanks for looking - have a great day!