Tissue Paper Glass Jar Luminaries

Crafts that allow us to reuse items that would otherwise be recycled or thrown away are a win win in our house.  I like to save glass jars from everyday things we might buy, condiments, sauces, pickles, ect.....you never know when they might come in handy for a craft project on a really hot { or rainy or cold } day.

Tissue Paper Luminaries 

What you will need:

clean and empty glass jars { no labels }

tissue paper { the thin solid color ones work best but they are delicate to work with }

scissors 

mod podge 

containers for tracing if you want to have certain shapes cut out 

Paint brushes { to apply the mod podge }

small candles or tea lights 

lighter { to light your candles }

Step 1:

Pick out your colors and figure out what design you want to have on your jar. 

Cut out the pieces you will need. 

Step 2:

Spread a little bit of mod podge on the jar at a time and place your tissue paper onto it patting it down.  Try not to rub the tissue paper down because this can cause it to tear.  Also, you don't need a ton of mod podge to get the tissue paper to stick down, too much and the tissue paper can tear, wrinkle, or become a squished mess because it will get over saturated. 

Finish applying all of your tissue paper to your jar. 

Step 3:

Allow your jar to dry for about 10 mins or so and then apply mod podge over all of the tissue paper to seal it down.  You want to wait to do this because if the tissue paper gets too saturated with mod podge it can cause it to tear or crinkle on the jar. 

Allow your jars to dry all of the way before handling and placing a tea light into the jar. 

Bonus points to the people who can tell me what character the middle jar is made to look like. ;) 

My daughter loves having her jar in her room at night all aglow.  Like me, she is a lover of candles and candle light. :)

Have left over jars in your home? You can turn them into fun luminaries for every day display or you can make seasonal ones like we did a few Halloweens back: 

Stained Glass Art Project {a project for any art lover!}

After a three day long craft fest with my little one, the creative spirit in me feels happy and satisfied .... BUT also itching to do more. ;)  I am hoping to have time this week and the next to share a few of my favorite projects we did.  :)

First up, the faux stained glass art project!

What You Need:

Clear contact paper

Pencil and Eraser 

Black Sharpie Marker 

Colored Pencils 

Scissors

A bowl if you want a round finished product 

These projects are simple and easy, great for sitting at the table and bonding with the kids or for keeping a group of kids busy and having fun. :)

1. Plan out what you want to draw.  If you want a round shape, now is the time to trace the size bowl you want on your contact paper.  

2.  Draw out your drawing using a pencil, keeping in mind that you don't want to press too hard so that the pencil lines {when traced over or erased} don't show through on your finished piece. 

3.  Once your drawing is finished, trace it carefully with a black{or any color of your choosing} permanent sharpie marker. Erase any stray pencil marks.

4.  Color in your drawing with colored pencils.  Keep in mind the colors do look lighter when the finished product is placed in the window.  So if you want your colors as vibrant as possible, its best to press kinda hard. ;)

5.  Once you are finished with your drawing, cut it out and carefully place it onto your window.  I found the best way to do this was to peel from the top and once I had a small section peeled away I placed that onto the window, smoothed it down and then slowly peeled more off....smoothing it down as I went. 

Depending on the time of day and/or how the sun hits it, the colors in your project will be more vibrant or faded.  I love the way the look in the windows and the extra personal touch they bring to a room.  My daughter's owl one makes me smile .....I know its hard to see in the photos but she used multiple colors in each section to blend them to get her colors "just right and more fancy".  I love watching her inner artist bloom and her creativity blossom.  

I have a feeling that by the end of the summer, most of the windows in my house will have one of these on them. :)

Easy Fabric Headbands

When summer weather begins so does the daily headband wearing in our house.  My daughter loves headbands, but finds a lot of the hard headbands difficult to wear because they bump her glasses and bother her.  Our solution was tons of crochet headbands with flowers and hearts.  

This year I wanted to mix it up and do something different for her so I went in search of a quick and easy fabric headband tutorial on pinterest so that I could whip up a bunch of new hair accessories for my little headband lover. 

Easiest Fabric Headband I've Ever Made!

Full tutorial can be found here.

The fat quarter bundles that you can get at Joann's are perfect for these because the length on one side is just what you need to whip these up.  I cut the width of mine at 4 inches instead of the called for 3.5 inches because I wanted a wider headband.  I also just did a double fold over for the ends that go around the pony tail holder instead of the pointed end because I liked that look better. To make it fit my 10 year old's head I just made the fold overs a bit wider than the adult version. You could also take off an inch or half an inch to adjust the size accordingly. With the pony tails at the join, these headbands have a great stretch to them.

Love the finished headbands! They are super easy to sew up and would make awesome gifts or party favors. :)

How to Make Tea Cup Candles

I think I have pretty much established the fact that my life lately has been very busy.

 With that being said, I don't consistently blog like I would like to. 

So my new plan for this blog:

Blog when I can, when I have something I want to share and have time to share.  

My life is filled with homeschooling, crafting, homemaking, dancing for my ballerina....the list goes on and on.  I would love to have the time to share all of our crafts, projects, crochet patterns and homeschool goodies and maybe one day I will have more time, but for now I have to settle on posting when I have the time.  I kinda like that, the no pressure blogging, blog when I can, with no promises to have new content daily like so many of the other fabulous blog I read when I have some free time and need inspiration. 

On to the crafting! 

So, I love tea cups; one day I hope to have an amazing vintage collection of them in my home on display on open shelves for me to admire when I am cooking. :)

While surfing pinterest I found some great tutorials on how to make tea cup candles and I knew as soon as I saw them, I had to make some of my own. :)

This was my first batch of them and I love them.  They look so pretty glowing in the dark. 

I was lucky to get a beautiful batch of vintage cups from a family member and now I can't wait to go out to the thrift store and pick up some more of these to make them as gifts for this holiday season. :)

Tip that I found useful in my first batch: 

You need a lot of essential oils if you plan on using that for the scent, so do one candle at first {I know this sounds like a pain but trust me it will pay off} and then once its hardened test it by burning it and see if the scent is as strong as you like.  If you can barely smell it like what happened to my first one that was my tester, double or triple the amount of essential oil drops in the wax per candle. 

I bought soy wax from a local craft store but you could melt down old candles or use other candle wax if you prefer. 

Here are the two tutorials I used to make my candles :

http://www.gomakeme.com/2012/02/go-make-me-soy-candles-diy-project.html

&

http://georgicapond.blogspot.com/p/candle-craft-project.html

They just make me smile because its something fun, different and whimsical. 

And I love tea cups so tea cup anything is def. my cup of tea! ;)

Instagram Love {Tutorial}

Recently I may have become slightly okay majorly addicted to instagram photos.  But in my defense how could you not?! They create such cute photos and are so much fun! :)  With many adorable photos on my phone I was pretty keen to get them into prints so I could display them around my house.

I used the app from postal pix to order my instagram photo prints right from my phone.  The app is free and very easy to use/navigate.  It guides you through the order process and you order the photos straight from your camera roll on your phone.  My photos came in two business days after I ordered them, fast and great service all is one is a win, win for me. :)  You can check them out on facebook here.

This is the only place I found that got amazing reviews and would print my instagram photos in true instagram  fashion ie in the square form. :)  Now I will add in one little note about the photo quality:  The photos look awesome and I love them, but there were two that came out slightly not clear in print form.  This didn't bother me at all because if I look at the photos on my phone the way the filter is applied it is not crisp.  Be mindful of the photos you print if you want all crisp looking photos because the different instagram filters will give you different photo results. I love it and love the different variety in my photos when they are displayed. 

I found lots of inspiration for cute ways to hang the photos but I was looking for something simple for my daughter's room.  I plan on making something cool for our family room but for my daughter's room I wanted something that was easy for her to use and fun.  

This is a simple to do project that you can change up very easily....use ribbon, lace, braided yarn, hemp, cording......lots of possibilities here.  My daughter loves tulle and wanted the photos on her door so this display method was the perfect solution. :)

~~Just to add in, yes you can still close the door with the tulle wrapped around it like this.  I don't know how other materials would effect that.  The tulle for us does not effect the door closing one bit. 

All you need is tulle rolls in your favorite colors, clothespins, and scissors.  I did use some clothespins in her display that I had used mod podge to apply scrap booking paper too.  That is an easy way to decorate your clothespins to give it an extra fun touch. 

Cut a really long piece of tulle.....you want to have enough so that you can keep wrapping it around your door.  

Use the tulle and wrap it around your door, feeding it through the gap in between the door and the jam.  It does take some time to do this, its faster if you have someone helping you out.  You will leave a two foot section at the beginning so that you can tie it off when you are finished.  If you have someone helping you they can hold on to this section to keep it there, otherwise use a small piece of tape to tape it to the door to hold it in place.  When you get to the end of your tulle use the two ends to tie the tulle into a bow to secure it to the door.  While wrapping it you want to do it tight but not too tight that you rip the tulle.  You just want it to be tight enough that it stays in place on the door. 

Use the clothespins to hang your photos and you are finished!  Quick and easy, not to mention fun and a low cost way to hang all your awesome photos.  You could even use this method to display your child's art on the door as well.  :) 

Now I just need to finish up a few more crochet flowers to be pinned to her door and it will be perfect according to little miss. :) 

I am linking up to Frontier Dreams Keep Calm Craft On today, head on over there to see some more awesome creative people. :)

DIY Tutorial Free Standing Ballet Barre {How to Make}

Over the years my daughter has gotten more and more serious about her ballet and tends to practice daily.  I went online in search of a free standing ballet barre for her and found the prices and the reviews all over the board.  Since I have a love for DIY projects I thought it would be a lot easier and cheaper to just make our own.  We went back and forth between doing a pvc version or a steel version.  In the end we choose to go the pvc route because it can be adjusted easy and since she is still growing would be a cheaper option for now.  Once she hits her teen years and stops growing, we plan to make her a steel version should she still be serious about her ballet. :)

She was so happy about her new barre and began practicing right away.  :)  She plans on decorating it more up the sides with different colors of tulle.  

We went the route of doing two bars across, that way its more stable and one is for use now and the other is for when she gets taller.  You can remove the two small vertical pieces in between the two bars across and put in shorter or slightly longer pieces if need be.  This is also a good option if you have two or more kids that like to practice their ballet at home. You can have one child working on one side at the shorter bar and another child who is taller working on the other side on the taller bar. 

Measurements of our barre: 

Aprox. 4ft 3in tall x 4ft 1/2 in long x 3ft wide 

Our daughter is roughly 49 inches tall so we based the measurements off of her after doing research online and talking to dance teachers. 

What You Will Need: 

We shopped at Lowes, keep in mind, prices do vary depending on where you live. 

21 Feet of 1 1/2 in pvc pipe 

.43 cents a foot = $9.03 

We went with this bigger pvc pipe because it was more the shape and size of the ballet barre my daughter uses at her studio and because it felt sturdier than the smaller pipes they had in stock. 

4   1 1/2  Tees 

$ 1.13 x 4 = $4.52

2   1 1/2 in elbows 

$1.12 x 2 = $2.24

4   elbows with one side 1 1/2 and the other 1 1/4 

$2.11 x 4 = $8.44

4   1 1/2 Caps 

.76 x 4 = $3.04

Our PVC Cuts: 

2  x 48in 

2   x 8 in

2  x 32 in

4  x 18 in

You will change up the measurements to fit your child.  These are for a child that is roughly 49 inches tall. 

Assemble 

Put your pieces together, making sure you push them together hard to ensure a tight fit.  You can glue them if you want but we opted not to because of the smell and the fact that we wanted to be able to adjust the barre as needed.  Its really sturdy without the glue and works perfect for our daughter. 

Finish up by attaching the legs and caps and you are done! 

Now your little one has a custom barre that they can practice on at home. :)

Price Recap 

$9.03 PVC

$4.52 Tees

$2.24 Elbows

$8.44 Elbows

$3.04 Caps 

Grand Total:  $27.27 for a custom ballet barre. 

That's a pretty sweet deal for endless days of ballet practicing. :)

Kid Made Project/Tutorial: Headbands for you and your AG Doll

I love how every night I am working on some kind of craft project.....and my daughter is sitting there right next to me working on a craft as well. The older she gets the more creative she becomes and it brings such a huge smile to my face. :)

I thought it would be fun to post one of her latest projects and then let her write the tutorial for it all by herself too. Take it away Victoria!

Today we are making matching headbands for you and your doll!!

Here is what you need:

Your doll, fabric, thick yarn, and scissors.

Take the yarn and measure the yarn around your doll's head.  Cut the yarn leaving long tails on both sides so you can tie it in a bow when putting it on your doll. 

Put your yarn aside. 

Cut out three strips all the same size out of the fabric you like best. 

Find the middle of the yarn piece that you measured around your doll's head.

About two inches from the middle is where you want to tie your first tie.  It does not matter which way you go when moving two inches from the middle. 

Tie your other two ties right next to your first one. 

Tie your yarn on top of your ties to help keep them in place so that they don't move around. 

Kit in her new headband, she looks super cute!!!!!

Make another one for you following the same steps and now you can match with your favorite doll! :)

I love how cute my daughter's project and tutorial came out! It went along great with an assignment in her writing book about making a project and giving instructions on how to complete it. I am going to print out the photos and have her mount them on construction paper, writing the instructions for each on on the back. I think she will probably go into more detail on those instructions since it will be written and not typed.  She is not too keen on typing. ;)

I am still working away on many birthday presents for my little one...thankfully her birthday is at the end of the month.....that gives me time to get most of the stuff done. {fingers crossed!!}

Today I am linking up to Frontier Dreams Keep Calm Craft On 

Hand Print Mother's Day Dish

I saw a post weeks back where a women had used a crochet doily and imprinted it in clay and made it into a bowl.  I loved the idea and wanted to try it myself.  After making one and not being fully happy with it I changed the idea to make it into something more personal for me.

I made a small dish out of clay with my daughter's hand print in the middle and a special message that she picked out for me imprinted along the edge.  I made the bowl knowing it would be perfect for the snipped off ends from when I am crocheting and weaving in the ends.

These would make awesome Mother's Day gifts {hint hint dads! ;) } or even grandma gifts if you gift to grandmas on Mother's Day too. You could even gift something like this for other holidays like Christmas, birthdays, or any other special occasion. Handmade personal gifts rock! :)

For this project you will need:

Not pictured: 

E-ACTO Knife 

Bowl for resting your clay on and cutting around.  Pick a bowl that's lip is the size circle you want for your finished piece. 

Acrylic paint

Mod Podge to seal your finished dish.

Soft sandpaper block.

The clay I used was an air drying clay that you can pick up at your local craft store. 

The doily is optional, I took this photo when I made my first attempt at the doily imprinted one. 

Roll your clay out on your plastic mat or any other surface that you prefer.   We found that it didn't stick as bad on the plastic. You can roll it to your preference for thickness, we did it on the thin side {about 1/8 inch} so it would dry faster and not be weighted down when we draped it over a bowl.  

After you roll out your clay, you will place your bowl down onto your clay softly....DON'T PUSH IT DOWN.  You are just using it for a template.  Take your E-ACTO knife and run it along the bowl, cutting your circle shape into your clay as you go. 

Lift up bowl and pull off your left over clay. 

 Your edges will be rough, that's okay.  Once its dry you will use a soft sandpaper block on the edges to smooth it out. 

Have your little one press their hand into the clay, not too hard but enough to get an imprint.  You can do a quick check by peaking under one of their fingers. :)  Use the ABC stamps to imprint your special message. 

Rest your clay over your bowl, hand print side down.  You will want to let it dry for a few days.  After an initial overnight drying I turned it right side up in the morning so the hand print side could fully dry.  Then I let it sit and dry for another two days to make sure it was fully dry. 

Rub the edges with a soft sandpaper block to smooth them out.  We did this outside so that clay dust didn't get every where.  You can wear a face mask if you want to be 100% that you don't breathe any of the dust in. 

Once dry, have your child paint it in a color of their choosing.  

Let the paint dry for a few hours. 

Paint on a layer of Mod Podge for a sealer coat. 

Admire your fabulous and unique dish that will forever keep a memory of your little one's hand. 

 I tagged the photo with the wrong name using my etsy store handle, still 100% me :)

If I do something like this again, which I probably will for another hand print keepsake,  I would press her hand down a little harder to get a more defined imprint.  

Its a easy, unique, one of a kind gift that will be treasured for many years to come. 

Every time I use this dish it makes me smile. <3