a little sparkle

Valentine Girl Collage Art

2012-01-24T14:42:00.000-07:00

The house was quiet today while my baby napped and my girls were off to school. I didn't feel like doing laundry so I decided to play. I had such a blast putting together this 11 x 17 collage canvas.

Available in my etsy shop.

Children's Art Classes

2012-01-23T08:06:00.000-07:00

I have been having so much fun preparing and organizing classes that I will be teaching. I have decided to get back into teaching art classes for kids. I taught a couple of classes a few years ago and now that my own kids are more interested in art, I decided it would be fun to let other kids in on the fun too.

This flower is a painting by my 4 year old daughter. I love art done by kids. It is always so expressive.

I have started a blog for my art classes where I can show off my students' art. Come on over to see what we are up to! http://www.rivertonutahartclasses.blogspot.com/

busy

2011-12-10T17:38:00.002-07:00

I have done 4 boutiques in one week... I am exhausted. These are some of the items I have made and sold.

I've done so much crafting that my fingers are dry and cracked and bleeding. I am now ready to relax and enjoy the holiday season!

etsy update

2011-11-22T14:17:00.001-07:00

Just in time for the holidays...

I have listed a bunch of items in my etsy shop!

I will be adding fun accessories weekly!

Hooray!
Head over to my facebook page and Like me! This is where I will let you know about discounts and new items in my shop!

Salt Dough Ornaments

2011-11-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

Every year my friend hosts an ornament exchange and every year I go through probably 5 ideas before I settle on what I am going to make for my ornaments. I make a few ornaments and end up hating them so I scrap the idea and move onto something different. Ha ha. Well, this year was no different. I finally

decided on making some salt dough ornaments and I am happy with the results. So here they are!

Started with making stars from this recipe: 1/2 C. Salt, 1/2 C. warm water, 1 C. flour. Cut out shapes. Let dry completely.

I ended up painting mine, but next time to save time and to make them look more like gingerbread cookies and not chocolate ones, I think I will add food coloring and cinnamon to the dough.

I used white puff paint and sprinkled glitter while it was still wet.

Tied a little ribbon through the holes.

And here is the result! Happy Holidays!

Burlap NOEL Banner

2011-11-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun making this burlap banner. I first painted the burlap with white paint and let it dry. I cut out the letters from a gold glitter cardstock and strung the whole thing from jute. I'm getting so excited for the holidays!

Also, check out my new items in my etsy shop! There are some really fun hair accessories that are perfect for the holidays.

An Old Window

2011-10-08T09:40:00.000-06:00

I love old windows and have always wanted one. My husband informed me that he has never wanted an old window (ha ha). I told him it was because he didn't know how cool they are. A few months ago I saw my neighbor outside working on a project. She was painting an old window! I quickly ran over to ask her where she got it. She told me she had several more in her garage and that I could have one. What? I was so excited!

So after stripping off old paint and cleaning it up. I painted my window and now here it is in my Living Room. I absolutely love it.

My husband thinks this is one the best projects that I have worked on. Thanks to him for helping me hang it.

Baby Headbands

2011-09-10T20:32:00.000-06:00

My beautful niece came over tonight and she wanted to help model some headbands that I made.

Isn't she so beautiful?

I think the headbands look pretty cute on her too!

Lollie Wreath for Halloween

2011-09-08T19:14:00.000-06:00

Look! I finally started to be crafty again! :)

It's not completely finished, but I wanted to share it anyway.

I have had so much fun making all these paper lollies and I thought it would be fun to glue them all together to make a wreath. The lollies were a little time comsuming, but I just put in the audio book for the Heretic's Daughter, which by the way is interesting and quite sad.
I added some glitter and embellishments to spice it up a bit. I still want to add the word "Spooky" or "Halloween" somewhere, but for now this is what I have.
Enjoy!

Where Have I Been?

2011-07-28T16:50:00.000-06:00

Snuggling with this hansome little boy.

I've really been enjoying the past two months with my sweet baby boy! If I can get away from playing with him I may actually start crafting again and making more posts on this blog.

"Weather" she likes it or not...

2011-04-22T11:34:00.001-06:00

My Mom turned 60 a couple of weeks ago. My sisters and I put together a fun surprise party for her. Our theme? A Rainy Day Party!

We had a lot of yummy treats. How cute are the "raindrops"? (chocolate covered sunflower seeds)

My sister designed these darling invitations.

Party favors were lemon drops. The tag says "thanks for 'dropping' by!"

Mini cupcakes with cloud marshmallow toppers.

Our Rain Boot vase with Tulips.

Tissue paper rain clouds with raindrops falling down.

Our photo booth. Everyone had a blast using the props and "hamming" it up for the camera.

Including my darling grandparents! Aren't they so cute?

Nursery Update

2011-03-28T09:37:00.000-06:00

The nursery is still a work in progress, but here is the latest of what we have been doing. My awesome husband built some bookshelves. I love them. They turned out so lovely!!!

I painted the dresser a nice shade of Navy blue. I love the color even more than I thought I would.

Oh, and do you see that darling robot clock? My sister made that for me. Isn't it so fabulous? I just need to hang it now.
I still need to paint our crib. I am just waiting for the weather to warm up a bit more, which it better soon since I only have 9 more weeks until my due date! Eeek!

Disaster Relief

2011-03-14T13:13:00.000-06:00

This adorable stamp set can be purchased from My Cute Stamps and THIS week only they are donating $7.99 for each stamp set sold, which is the retail price for this stamp set. This is a great way to help with the Disaster Relief in Japan, plus you get an adorable stamp set too!
Help raise some money by letting your friends on Facebook & Twitter know!

Robot Paintings

2011-02-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

So I decided on a Robot theme for my baby's nursery. I decided on a color scheme of gray, navy, light blue and orange. I bought some blank canvases at Hobby Lobby this morning. They were on sale... score! It took me 6 hours to paint the 3 canvases. Not too bad. Now I have some art to hang on the wall in my nursery. Slowly, very slowly the room is coming together. I have about 13 weeks left before Davis arrives and I still have so much to do. I am planning on painting the crib a Navy Blue color and I'd love to hang some shelving.

Anyway, I am happy with the progress so far and I am very happy with my fun little Robot paintings.

Enjoy!

Vintage Inspired Baby Girl Headbands

2011-02-18T15:17:00.000-07:00

Fresh new baby headbands now available in my etsy shop!!!

Can't help it, but I think they are really sweet.

I'd keep them for myself, but I am having a baby boy this May.

http://www.emilycall.etsy.com/

Heart Lollipops

2011-02-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

We've seen these lovely candy cane lollipops everywhere... on blogs, on tv, in magazines... so we thought we'd try our hand at some. We had some large strawberry flavored candy canes left over from Christmas that I thought would be yummy. We already had some red candy melts so we were set.

After trimming off about an inch at the bottom of each candy cane we put them on a greased cookie sheet with a skewer in the center and popped them in the oven at 375 for 3 1/2 minutes. As soon as they were out of the oven I carefully pinched the ends together so they would stick together.

When they were cool, I melted the red candy melts and filled the centers of the hearts and poured on sprinkles and Valentine colored sixlets.

When they were all cooled off they were ready to eat. YUM!

Valentine Box

2011-02-08T11:39:00.001-07:00

When I was little we used to make elaborate Valentine's Boxes to collect all of our school Valentine's in. Well, I wanted to keep the tradition and make one for my daughter. We found some really cute Mermaid valentines at Target so we decided to use that as our theme.

We used an empty rolled oats container and covered it with some fun aqua scrapbooking paper. I cut out a Mermaid and a fish with some bright colored paper and glitter paper.

The heart that the mermaid is holding says: "Of all the fish in the sea... you mean the most to me, Valentine!". We had to go with a cheesy saying for Valentine's Day, right?

We put some crystal beads on wire to resemble bubbles. Oh, and we had to give our mermaid a seashell purse and a pearl necklace.

I'm glad my little first grader loves it. I think the colors are really fun. Happy Valentine's Day!

a fun find

2011-02-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

Aren't these "Nilla Girls" so much fun? I found this delightful idea over at Flexible Dreams blog. I just happened upon her blog and loved this idea of dipping nilla wafers into melted chocolate for the hair and drawing faces on them with food coloring markers. Oh and aren't the little heart bows just too cute? Love.

More Etsy Shop Updates

2011-02-07T15:36:00.000-07:00

A couple more items are up in my Etsy Shop. Stop by and check them out.

Finally Stocking my Etsy Shop

2011-02-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

It's been way too long since I have been involved in my Etsy shop. One of my goals this year is to stock my shop with many of my creations... mainly so I can afford to keep my daughter in dance... ha ha. I hope you will check it out and pass along the word to anyone you think might be interested!

Here are two baby headbands that I just listed in my shop. I am planning on adding several more items in the next few days.

I hope you will stop by. Happy Shopping!

Book Page Roses

2011-02-04T13:19:00.001-07:00

I hope you aren't sick of seeing projects made with old book pages, because I am having so much fun making all sorts of things with them. I have been making these paper roses out of book pages... they are so addicting to make.

I made so many roses that I decided to make them into a wreath. I got an old wire hanger and shaped it into a circle for my wreath form. I hot glued the flowers around and then used some tulle in the back to add some volume.

And here is the finished project. Perfect for a shelf, I think.

Whoopie Pies

2011-02-03T19:49:00.000-07:00

My girls and I whipped up a batch of these Whoopie Pies. I found the recipe in Family Fun Magazine and thought they looked like fun. They were simple to make. The frosting was a little too sweet so we added some cherry flavoring to it and voila... much tastier!

Little Notes of Love

2011-01-31T14:24:00.001-07:00

This is a fun frame with little notes attached to glittery hearts to let someone know how much you love them!

I got the frame at a local thrift store and painted it to look white washed.

I cut out hearts from glittery paper with pinking shearts, attached a little message banner to the heart. I punched a hole in the top of the heart and used an eyelet. I attached these little love note hearts to the frame by threading them onto wire and stringing them across the frame.

Some of the messages include: "my true love", "i love your smile", "happy to be in love", "you make me laugh", "you mean the world to me".

Just a little something to display in my home to let my husband and kids know how much I love and adore them! Enjoy!

http://todayscreativeblog.net/get-your-craft-on-40/

http://itsablogparty.com/hugs-and-kisses-valentines-party/
http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/

Valentine Pennant

2011-01-31T09:42:00.000-07:00

This was so much fun to make. I had everything on hand. Love projects like that. I just used some cream colored card stock for the pennant, some red glitter paper for the heart, some pinking shears, some cream colored tulle, a little stitching on the sewing machine, and some pearls.

I used a twig for the handle and ribbon to tie the twig to the pennant.

Nylon Baby Headband and Bracelet

2011-01-26T12:24:00.000-07:00

I made this soft nylon headband and a matching bracelet for a friend who's having a baby girl. I made the flower out of a minty green lace. Oh, I am loving these colors. It's refreshing from the traditional pink. Can't wait to give them to her!

Bubble Gum Necklaces

2011-01-25T15:11:00.001-07:00

I stumbled across this adorable gumball necklace over at One Charming Party. Oh my goodness! I think I need to make a few of these for my girls to give their friends for Valentine's Day!

Book Page Lollie Garland

2011-01-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

I made this fun Vintage inspired garland for my entry way yesterday. I used old book pages and accordian folded them and made some paper lollies. I then cut out some red hearts from some red foil paper that I had. Glued them to the centers and blinged them up with some silver glass glitter. I glued the lollies to some jute twine and tied tulle, ribbon, and lace along the jute.

I love it and hope you do too!

http://thecsiproject.com/

Rolled Burlap Heart Wreath

2011-01-20T16:15:00.000-07:00

I am so happy today! Even if it is freezing outside, the sun is shining. My camera was covered under warranty and is back in working condition, and I made time to craft today!
I had so much fun making these rolled roses out of red burlap. I took an old wire hanger and shaped it into a heart and glued the rolled roses over the top. I added some red heart rhinestones to a few of the roses to add a little bit of Valentine sparkle.

I love, love how it turned out.

I love that I have a camera so that I can take pictures of it and share with all of you! Enjoy!

taking a break

2010-12-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

Sadly I have to take a break from my blogging. My camera broke and I am not sure it can be repaired and if not, I don't know when I'll be able to replace it.

I went to use my camera on Christmas Eve and to my dismay it wouldn't turn on! So, for now I will be taking a break... hopefully it's not too long.

Vintage Inspired Christmas House

2010-12-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

I have always loved little vintage paper houses. I think they are sweet and charming. I built this one out of chipboard, paint, glitter paper, and lots of glitter.

This house I made as a gift for someone, but I think I may have to spend some time and build a few for myself.

Happy Holidays!

Doll Clothes

2010-12-10T09:21:00.001-07:00

I don't really sew, but these were pretty simple and I didn't make too many mistakes. I decided to sew some doll clothes for my daughter to give to her friend for Christmas. Have you seen the "glitter" fabric that they sell now? It is so much fun. I bought some for the dress. The jacket is made out of wool felt.

I hope she likes her present. I know I do. :)

Mini Paper Stockings

2010-12-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

I cut out these cute stockings from patterned paper and stitched down the sides and embellished them with some paper flowers. I filled them with candy canes. I think they will make perfect gifts for my girls to give to their friends, don't you?

Happy Holidays!

Silver & Gold Garland

2010-12-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year and I love doing Christmas projects. I had a lot of fun making this silver and gold garland out of silver foil paper, gold glitter and old book pages. I think it is fun for Christmas, but I think it will be even prettier for New Year's Eve.

I used a circle scallop punch and folded the paper to make the flower. I cut out leaf shapes from the book pages and added gold glitter to the edges.

I love how it turned out. Happy Holidays!

Christmas House Box Garland

2010-11-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

I think this garland from Crate & Barrel is so darling and look, each box is filled with caramels. Isn't this just too much fun?

Advent Calendar

2010-11-15T11:38:00.000-07:00

I made this muffin tin advent calendar with my friend about 2 years ago and sadly I didn't pack it up well enough when we moved because it was torn up and ruined. I was sad that I didn't get to use it last Christmas and didn't want to go another year without one so I decided to redo it.
I love how it turned out so much... a thousand times better in my opinion! Here's the new one:

I will be filling each one with some small candies and a paper that has an activity on it... make cookies, read a Christmas story, decorate the tree...

I am pretty sure my girls are going to be so excited to have this back again! Enjoy!

Autumn Boutique

2010-11-04T12:18:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posting lately. I have been busily preparing for an Autumn Boutique that is going on tomorrow. For any of you who live in the Salt Lake Valley we'd love for you to stop by! Visit www.mycutestamps/boutique for more info. Hope to see you there.

It's getting cold!

2010-10-13T07:58:00.000-06:00

I am loving these two coats from Anthropologie. Aren't they so pretty?

Baby Shower & Anniversary Cake

2010-10-11T09:40:00.000-06:00

I had a busy week. I hosted a baby shower at my house for my neighbor. We went with a "night owl" theme. Unfortunately this is the only picture I took.

Another neighbor asked for my help in baking a cake for her in-law's wedding anniversary party. I like to make cakes, but have NO CLUE what I am doing. I told her this and I told her it would be very simple, but classy. I am not really sure she was very happy with the results, but I think for my first attempt at a two layered cake it turned out pretty decent. More importantly it tastes yummy. I made a little sample cake and it was delish.

I am looking forward to a much quieter week.

a bunch of witches

2010-10-04T09:54:00.001-06:00

I had my Mom and Sisters over on Saturday to make these itty bitty witches. Aren't they all so cute? I love that we all enjoy crafting together! Happy Haunting!

Cards for Fall

2010-10-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

Happy 1st Day of October!

More Halloween Projects

2010-09-29T08:32:00.000-06:00

I went a little crazy yesterday stamping tons of cards and projects. I love how simple and clean these are.

Again, all the stamped images are from My Cute Stamps.

Halloween Stamping

2010-09-27T17:09:00.000-06:00

I spent a little time today stamping and playing with some Halloween paper. Although these cards are very simple I think they turned out really fun. Don't you think?

Stamps are from My Cute Stamps and the paper is Making Memories.

I love this time of year and can't wait to put all my Halloween decor up this weekend!

from a cupboard door...

2010-09-07T07:55:00.001-06:00

into a fun wall hanging with hooks. I took at cupboard door that I bought for $2 and painted it a light grey (with paint I already had), drilled holes in it and put on some hooks that I bought for $3 each. It now hangs in my powder bathroom. I love how it turned out and that it only cost me $11 total! Woohoo!

Halloween Stitching

2010-08-31T15:06:00.000-06:00

I spent some of my free time the past few days stitching this little Halloween sampler. I had so much fun doing it. Now I just need to find a cute black frame for it. I just drew the pictures onto some muslin and then pulled out Halloween colors of embroidery floss and went to town. Enjoy!

a sweet little witch

2010-08-20T09:11:00.000-06:00

Made from embroidery floss, felt and pipe cleaners.

This little witch was a delight to make!

doing a little stamping

2010-08-19T14:22:00.000-06:00

My oldest daughter is back in school and life has settled back into more of a routine and I have found more time to craft again! I love this time of year. It's the time when Summer starts to wind down and I start thinking of cooler weather, Autumn leaves and Halloween. I know you might think it is a little early to even mention Halloween, but in the crafting world I think you always have to start a little early for every holiday, right?

I had fun playing with these cute stamps from My Cute Stamps. If you have never seen this line of stamps, I suggest you head on over to their website and check it out!

Now, I know my posts have been very sparse lately, but I have a feeling that will soon change as I have a few projects in the works. Crafting is in the air!!!

Ice Cream Cone Cookies

2010-08-10T16:37:00.000-06:00

I had so much fun making the elephant cookies that I made another attempt to practice frosting with Royal Icing. I think these cookies turned out pretty good. I ended up taking them a Girl's Night Out to share with some of my friends.

Elephant Cookies

2010-08-04T10:11:00.000-06:00

I was asked to help make cookies for my cousin's baby shower. It was my first time frosting with Royal Icing, as you can probably see... other than the imperfections with the frosting I think they turned out really cute!

The ear was made from fondant and cut out with a heart shaped cookie cutter.

Ice Cream, Cupcakes and Rice Krispy Treats

2010-07-27T08:22:00.000-06:00

Just been busy with a week long of birthday celebrations for my two daughters. We ended the week with a fun dessert bar with family! YUM!

Pizza Party

2010-07-21T09:33:00.000-06:00

My daughters' birthdays are 5 days apart so I decided to plan both of their parties on the same day at different times. I knew it would be a long crazy day, but it turned out really well and all the kids had such a great time!
Singing Happy Birthday to my 6 year old.

playing "Don't Eat Pete-za!", my version of "Don't Eat Pete".

The birthday Girl opening her gifts.

The older kids got to make their own mini pizzas and they thought it was the greatest thing ever!

My 6 year old showing offer pizza hat. Notice the fun breadsticks I made on wooden dowels? Those were a big hit too!

The party favors.

Notice the fun little pizza banner! That giant pizza box is actually a present that my sister made for my daughter... Isn't it cute?

My sweet little 3 year old wearing her pizza hat.
The younger kids got to eat take out pizza and breadsticks... I wasn't even going to attempt letting them top their own pizzas. ha ha.

Here is the cake. I made the toppings out of fondant and the cheese is grated white chocolate.

We also let the kids play in a bounce house. I even heard a few kids say "this is the funnest party I have ever been to!" Success! Happy Birthday to my two beautiful daughters. Love you both!

Happy 4th of July

2010-06-28T16:33:00.000-06:00

Every year I wish I had some fun 4th of July decor, but every year the stores never have quite what I want so this year I actually made some things.
I made the banner with chipboard, paper, and some fun embellishments.
I made this plaque by tearing out a page from a Holly Hobbie book and mod-podging it on to the wooden plaque.

Back to posting

2010-06-25T16:41:00.000-06:00

My awesome husband bought me a new camera for my birthday! Yay, now I can start posting on my blog again. The past two days me and two friends of mine had a booth at a local craft boutique. This was our fourth year participating. Even though business was slow, we had a great time.

WANTED: missing camera

2010-06-10T19:52:00.000-06:00

I am so sad. My camera went missing shortly after we returned from a much needed vacation. I still have vacation pictures on it to upload. I take my camera with me everywhere and I am really struggling not having it, especially because I have some fun craft projects that I want to share here on my blog. I hope it turns up soon so I can continue to share my ideas with you all. Hopefully I will be posting again shortly.

nail art?

2010-06-08T09:26:00.000-06:00

Wow! Could you imagine wearing nail art like this? How can anyone get anything done with stuff like this plastered to their nails... and personally I don't even think it is cute. ;)

2010-05-19T15:48:00.000-06:00

I bought this bird cage at a yard sale for $4 on Saturday and I was so excited when I found it.
Do you remember the bird cage I found last Summer at a yard sale for $3? I finally decided on a color to paint it and here is the end result.

Chipboard Planter Picks

2010-05-11T12:26:00.000-06:00

I made these fun plant picks for house plants to sell at a boutique I had last weekend.

I used modpodge to glue some decorative papers to some chipboard flowers and then embellished them with glitter, paper flowers, and buttons. I then glued the chipboard to some floral wire.

Oh these make me so happy. Even if it is rainy outside and it has yet to be warm so I can ride my new bicycle. ;)

just a little birthday something

2010-05-06T11:15:00.000-06:00

My friend celebrated her birthday recently and I made a party hat, card, sugar cookies and a cake plate for her.

I attempted to bake her a cake to put on top of this cake plate. I was using my awesome "Cake Mix Doctor" recipe book and I was so excited that it was going to turn out and be so yummy until I realized that I accidentally used a brownie mix instead of a cake mix. ugh. It was a big ol' mess and ended up going with sugar cookies in the end.

I am still here...

2010-05-04T08:37:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to say that I am still here and have not abandoned you all! I have been busy and have a lot of projects to share, but my computer has a virus and keeps crashing on me. Hopefully we will be back up and running soon. Please be patient and visit soon. I promise to post some projects in the next few days.

Alice in Wonderland Tea Party

2010-04-14T17:00:00.000-06:00

My Aunt celebrated her 60th birthday last weekend and my cousins put together this more than adorable Alice in Wonderland themed tea party Birthday celebration. It was so much fun. The food was delicious and everything was so cute and colorful. I decorated my gift sack to match the theme of the party and made it into the Cheshire Cat. ha.

Everything had tags on them that said "eat me" and "drink me".

At everyone's seat there was a saucer and a mismatched tea cup.

Colorful paper lanterns made the atmosphere really fun.

Oh look, I spotted the white rabbit.

It truly was a wonderland!

Fondant Button Tutorial

2010-04-13T14:51:00.000-06:00

First you need some fondant, powdered sugar, a rolling pin and a small and medium size icing tips.

use food coloring and mix into your fondant... add powdered sugar so it doesn't get sticky.

roll out your fondant about 1/8" thick and cut a circle with the larger icing tip.

lightly press the small icing tip into the center of your cut circle.

using the tip of a small circle icing tip, cut out 4 holes in the center.

Let the buttons dry for a bit until they become sturdy.

Decorate your cupcakes and enjoy!

Button, Button, Cute as a Button Baby Shower

2010-04-12T12:03:00.000-06:00

My friend is having a baby girl and even though it is her second baby, I think every baby should be celebrated so I planned a fun "button" themed shower for her.

I had a delightful time making and hanging banners and decorations all over the house.

I made mini cupcakes with fondant buttons in each one.

It was a fabulous party and we had fun chatting and seeing ALL the darling gifts for her sweet little one. Congrats Sharie, can't wait to meet that little girl and thanks to everyone who came and helped with food.

It was a Cupcake kind of day!

2010-04-07T21:08:00.000-06:00

Today is my Mom's birthday! I love my Mom so much... she has always been a great friend and example to me. We headed over to her house tonight to celebrate with cupcakes.
Chocolate is her favorite so I cooked up some chocolate cupcakes with a homemade Chocolate Butter Cream frosting. MMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmm! Happy Birthday Mom! I love you!

Table Setting

2010-04-06T11:29:00.001-06:00

We enjoyed a wonderful Easter dinner with family. I hope you all did as well!

Easter Tree Centerpiece

2010-04-03T15:08:00.000-06:00

I needed an inexpensive centerpiece for our Easter dinner so this morning I ran into Dollar Tree and picked up this little Easter Tree and went to work using items I already had at home to make it pretty.

Before:After:

First I painted the pot with an Aqua paint and tied a cute polka dot organdy ribbon around the base. I hot glued Spanish moss to fill the pot. I then used pre-cut paper flowers and layered them and topped them off with a bead in the center. I hand cut green leaves and hot-glued them to the ends of some of the branches. I love how it turned out and can't wait to set the table. I hope I remember to take pictures of the whole table setting.

more mini baskets

2010-04-01T16:24:00.001-06:00

Here are what my mini basket favors ended up looking like. I love how bright and cheerful they are, don't you?

mini basket Easter favor & Tutorial

2010-03-30T10:04:00.000-06:00

I am having my family over for Easter dinner and I have been trying to come up with an Easter favor that is inexpensive, easy and classy. I finally landed on this fun little basket that is made from an egg carton, Spanish moss, and old grape vine wreath and paper.

I started out by cutting up an empty egg carton and trimming each section into a small little bowl.

Then using my hot glue gun I pressed Spanish moss all around the exterior (I got my moss at Dollar Tree).
I then trimmed off the excess moss to make it look a little cleaner.

I didn't take a picture of this step, but I pulled apart an old wreath that was made from grape vine and soaked it in warm water for about 10-15 minutes so it was more pliable to shape a handle from. I glued the handle to the inside of the basket. I then punched out some flowers from an old book using a small flower punch and embellished the basket. Don't forget to fill your baskets with some foil wrapped chocolate eggs to add a pop of color!

I am totally happy with the results and can't wait to set the table for my family dinner! Happy Easter everyone!

Butterfly Fairy

2010-03-29T20:50:00.000-06:00

So do you remember this post, where I promised to show pictures of what I have done with some thrift store items? Well, here is my oval frame that I just got around to painting and doing something with. I have also mentioned that my daughter wants a "fairy" themed bedroom so I had to paint a fairy that looked like her, right? I painted this using acrylic paints and finished it off with a clear gloss finish. I am loving how it turned out. What do ya think?

More Anthropologie Love

2010-03-24T11:02:00.000-06:00

I just love this knob. I would love to change out the knobs on one of my dressers with these.
Oh and who wouldn't love a cookie jar like this?
I adore this wall paper and would love to put it in our powder bathroom.
This apron is so much fun. Just makes me smile looking at it.
Don't even get me started on these darling robots... they have several different ones. If you get a minute you should head on over to Anthropologie and check out all of their new stuff.

Inexpensive Easter Tree

2010-03-23T13:23:00.000-06:00

I bought this tin flower pot at Dollar Tree and spray painted it a hot pink color. (The orange and green look wasn't working for me). I drove around until I found some tree branches off to the side of the road. I ended up spray painting white.
Ahhhhh, the pink looks so much better don't you think? I filled the base with some dirt and rocks to hold the branches in place and added a little moss to add some color.
Happy Easter!

Little Easter Basket

2010-03-17T10:07:00.000-06:00

I made this fun little Easter Basket out of paper. I think this would make a fun party favor to have for each family member that comes to our Easter dinner. I found this idea over at Urban Comfort and had to try it out myself. I actually think hers are way cuter than mine, but I just used what I had on hand. She has detailed instructions on her blog if you decide you want to make some too!

felt bunny pail

2010-03-16T14:22:00.000-06:00

I saw some felt Easter pails at Target over the weekend and they weren't very cute, but I liked the idea. I went home and pulled out my stiff felt and whipped up this cheerful bunny pail for my daughter. It's a little cheesy, but hey she's 5 years old and loves it!

Chocolate Crinkles

2010-03-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

Today my girls had some friends over to play so we thought it would be fun to bake some cookies. As I was going through my recipe box I came across this recipe that had been hiding in the very back. I love these cookies. I have such fun memories of sitting up to the counter in my Grandma's kitchen helping her bake these very cookies. I thought I would share the recipe.

Chocolate Crinkles

Cooking Time: 12 minutes
Preheat oven to: 350

Cream together: 1/2 C. Shortening, 1 2/3 C. sugar, 2 tsp. Vanilla, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 eggs.
Add 6 T. cocoa powder and 2 T. softened butter.
Add alternately: 2 C. flour and 1/3 C. milk.

Roll into balls in powdered sugar.

paper flower garland

2010-03-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

I just had to make a garland to coordinate with my new spring wreath! Oh Spring, I wish you were here! I love the colors so much. Enjoy!

Pretty Paper Flowers

2010-03-10T16:18:00.001-07:00

Here is my take on the whole paper flower craze. I absolutely enjoyed making each bright paper flower. Each flower is a little different with its own personality! Aren't they so much fun?
If this isn't perfect for spring, then I don't know what is! These flowers make me happy! I'd love to see your paper flower projects too... leave a comment with a link to your project so I can check 'em out!

Paper Flower Wreaths

2010-03-09T15:00:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the dry spell... I have been making things, but I haven't finished any of them yet and don't want to post a half done craft.

I am really loving all of these fun paper flower wreaths that I have been seeing everywhere and have started one of my own, but like I previously mentioned, it isn't done yet. Here are a couple of wreaths that have inspired me. Enjoy!

This all white one is so pretty.
This one is so bright and cheerful.
Can't wait to show you mine when it is all finished! Spring, please get here soon!

St. Patrick's Treasure Sacks

2010-03-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

This sack was so easy and cheap. I just folded a piece of burlap in half and zig-zag stitched down the sides. I then cut out a clover shape out of a slightly different shade of burlap and glued it on with fabric glue. Fill the bag with chocolate gold coins and other little treasures and tie it up with a cute ribbon.
I actually think I will let my girls go on a St. Patrick's Day treasure hunt and they can collect all of their findings in these fun little sacks.

Project from the Past: Pirate Paperclay

2010-03-01T08:27:00.001-07:00

I made this Pirate paperclay piece for a close friend of mine. She had decorated her son's bedroom in a pirate theme and wanted something fun to put on his dresser. I am so glad that I took a picture of this little guy because I probably would have forgotten all about it. Enjoy!

Butterflies and Burlap Roses

2010-02-26T12:07:00.001-07:00

I am so excited with how this turned out. I love that it has a bit of a shabby chic vintage feel to it, but it also is a little modern and perfect for spring.
I made some burlap and muslin roses and embellished them with rhinestones, sequins and pear beads.
I also used some cream lace to add a feminine feel.

I glued some neutral buttons to the centers of the butterflies and I used fabric glue to add some embellishment with some linen twine.
I used some flower centers for the antenna. To make the burlap more sturdy I backed each butterfly and leave with some white stiff felt and then I glued them all to some rope. I just had so much fun using stuff that I had sitting around my craft room!

Spring & Butterflies

2010-02-24T16:40:00.000-07:00

Getting anxious on this gloomy rainy/snowy day for Springtime. I had fun making this simple card using stamps from My Cute Stamps.

Homemade Almond Vanilla Granola

2010-02-24T10:29:00.001-07:00

Lately I have been eating yogurt with granola sprinkled on top... delish! I hate paying so much money on buying granola at the store, plus I have a hard time finding one that I really like so I decided to make my own.
I found a recipe online, but I changed it up a bit to have it just the way I like it.

Almond Vanilla Granola
4 C. Old Fashioned Oats
1 C. chopped almonds
1/2 C. Brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/3 C. vegetable oil
1/4 C. honey
2 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. almond extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 300. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Mix oats, nuts, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a saucepan combine oil, honey and sugar. Bring to a simmer on the stove over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the Vanilla and Almond extracts. Pour the hot liquid over the oat mixture and stir well.
Spread the granola onto the baking sheet. Stir occasionally. Bake for 30 minutes. Let granola cool completely. Enjoy!

Share some love...

2010-02-22T21:44:00.001-07:00

I know there are a few of you out there reading my blog, some have left comments, some of you I know and don't leave comments and others that are just lurking... hey I do that too! :) I am interested in knowing more about you and where you are from and what you like! Do you have a blog too? Leave me a comment and tell me more about what/if anything at all from my blog has inspired you. Maybe there are some projects that I have posted that you have questions about. Ask and I would be happy to share. Maybe you have questions about me? I would love to share and make some new friends here in "blog land". ha ha.
Can't wait to hear what you have to say!

Before I wrap up this post I just wanted to share another paper cut picture that I am working on of a little Birthday girl. Enjoy!

Drooling over...

2010-02-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

all of these fun little finds from dot com gift shop.

Seriously? look how cute the little mushroom cupcake liners are.
Polka dot doily's... fun!

Cowboy Paper Cut

2010-02-20T22:10:00.000-07:00

Cute little Cowboy hand cut out of paper. I think this would be so cute in a little boy's room.

Shamrock Door Hanging Tutorial

2010-02-19T16:42:00.000-07:00

Want to make your own?

First of all start with a heart template (mine is about a 5" heart). Using a light white colored pencil trace the hearts in a clover shape onto a piece of green stiff felt. ( I bought mine at Hobby Lobby)
Next, cut it out and lay it on top of a piece of green burlap ( I also found this at Hobby Lobby). A 1/2 yard will make a few of these... stitch around the edges.After you are done stitching around all the edges, cut off excess burlap.
Punch holes using a 1/16" circle hole punch and loop some thick wire through the holes and twist the ends.
Next tie a bow from some fun gold ribbon and embellish with a button or a rhinestone and hot glue it onto the wire.
Yay, now you are finished and have a fun, light-weight door hanging that won't bang loudly against your door in the wind.
Or you can hang in on your wall from a decorative hook!
Let me know if you have additional questions!

2010-02-18T16:59:00.001-07:00

My 5 year old daughter has been patiently waiting for me to decorate her bedroom with a fairy theme, but since I couldn't bring myself to plaster Tinkerbell across her walls or bed, I haven't done much. So trying to be a good Mom I finally came up with this paper pieced picture for her room. She LOVES it. woo hoo...
Hopefully I will add more "fairy-ish" stuff to her room soon.

Birthday Cards

2010-02-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

My friends and I got together last night to celebrate two birthdays so I came up with these fun hand cut paper birthday cards for them... I forgot how much fun it is to make these. I am sure many more are to come.
Happy Birthday girls!

Lucky

2010-02-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

As I was taking down my Valentine's Day decor yesterday I realized that I didn't have any St. Patrick's Day decor at all, except for one clover plant pick that I just bought last week. Sad. So what do I do? I get busy crafting up a "lucky' banner and a shamrock door hanging. For both the banner and door shamrock I stitched green burlap to some green felt (the stiff kind) to add some stability and voila... there you have it. These were really fast to make and I didn't cost very much at all and I think they turned out great.

Projects from the Past

2010-02-15T16:30:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to periodically post some projects that I have created in the past. I really love these pirate hand-cut paper piecing art. I have been in "Pirate" mode since I have been painting a pirate themed playroom and also making a banner for a pirate themed birthday party.
Ahoy!
ARRRRR.... Matey!

I hope you enjoy these projects from the past!

New & Old

2010-02-12T09:29:00.001-07:00

I've been having a lot of fun lately making some new jewelry. I really am enjoying using new and vintage beads mixed together... I think it adds some charm.

I love wearing both of these necklaces together... the colors are so much fun together and I love the layered look.

Pirates in Progress

2010-02-09T08:32:00.000-07:00

I am in the middle of painting my friend's playroom for her kids. Obviously she decided on a Pirate theme and I am loving it! Isn't it so cute... far from finished, but these little pirates make me smile.

I still have a lot more work to do, but I will post more pictures later!

i heart anthropologie

2010-02-08T10:43:00.001-07:00

Here are some of my latest favorites from Anthropologie!!! Such great eye candy!

Valentine Princess Scepters

2010-02-06T18:31:00.000-07:00

These were really fast and easy to make and I think they will make really fun Valentine gifts for my two little princesses! I used what I had on hand. I had some foam glittered hearts and I poked a hole into the bottom of the hearts and hot glued the hearts to painted wooden dowels and some long twigs that I had collected this past summer. I added a tiny bit of sparkle to the hearts with beads and jewels and then glued some ribbon to the sticks and covered it with red Christmas tinsel and red feathers.
I think my girls will really enjoy them and find them quite magical!
Happy Valentine's Day!

Vintage Valentine Banner

2010-02-05T14:42:00.000-07:00

I love vintage Valentines and I love banners, so what's better than a vintage valentine banner, right? My only problem was that I didn't have any vintage valentines, but thanks to the good old internet I was able to find some free vintage valentine clip art. I printed them out on card stock, cut them out and added some glitter and ribbon.

wishing and hoping for Spring

2010-02-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

I miss the sunshine and warm weather so to help cheer me up I made some fun Spring inspired hair clips. Some of these may end up in my etsy shop.

Recent Thrifty Finds

2010-02-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

I found some really fun inexpensive items at the thrift store and wanted to share. I got this really cute apothecary jar for $1 and I added some glitter hearts for a little bit of Valentine sparkle.
I thought this galvanized metal candlestick holder for $1.
This one is my favorite! I love milk glass so when I saw this I had to have it. It was only 50 cents!
Lastly, I scored this cute little plate for 75 cents!

Lovely Lace Votive Holders

2010-02-01T15:27:00.000-07:00

My cousin had a fun Craft night last week and we made these awesome lace votive holders. You can read instructions on how to make your own on Martha Stewart's website.

Aren't these so charming and delightful? I love them. Thanks again Courtney for inviting me to come. Let's play again soon.

Oh and I just wanted to thank all of you who are "following" my blog. It means a lot to me to know who is out there reading and also, I appreciate all of your kind comments!

Oh I wish I wasn't so practical (and frugal)

2010-01-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

I just can't justify spending this much on clothing for my two little girls, but sometimes I really wish I could. Aren't these clothes from Chasing Fireflies so very yummy?

I could have posted pretty much their whole website on here. ha ha, but these are a few of my most favorite.

White Chocolate Cinnamon Valentine Popcorn

2010-01-28T14:31:00.001-07:00

I didn't really use a recipe, but I probably used about 6-8 cups of air popped popcorn. (you can always use microwave though).I melted 4 cubes of white chocolate and added 1/8tsp. of Cinnamon Oil. Then I mixed it well to coat the popped popcorn. Next I added some sprinkles. Aren't they so cute? Pour coated popcorn onto a foil lined cookie sheet for easy clean up.

I then melted some more white chocolate and colored it pink with some food coloring and drizzled it over the popcorn.
Let the popcorn set up and when the chocolate is dry break up the pieces and enjoy! YUM!

Fuzzy Yarn Heart Tutorial

2010-01-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

I saw some hearts similar to these at a local home decor store. I wanted to buy some, but I knew I had all the supplies and that I could probably make my own! The ones at the store were Red, which were really, really cute, but I didn't have Red yarn so I used what I had.
First of all, trace or draw a heart shape on some styro foam. I used some styro foam that had come in a box with dishes in it... good way to recycle, right?
Next cut out the heart. I used my super nifty heat styro foam cutter, but you could use a knife.
Now use hot glue and begin wrapping your styro foam heart with yarn.

There you have it... some really easy, inexpensive, light-weight Valentine hearts to help add a little bit of fun to your holiday!
Enjoy. (Sorry these pictures aren't the best. The lighting wasn't very good.)

More items

2010-01-25T14:03:00.000-07:00

I will be posting more items in my etsy shop (www.emilycall.etsy.com) before the week is over.
These are just a few of them.

Enjoy!