Guess What I Made It Out Of!!!

 I'm officially jumping on the washi tape bandwagon! 

I recently saw this post from Kelly at Live, Laugh, Rowe where she covered paper mache boxes with washi tape to make cute little gift boxes. I pinned the post, knowing that I wanted to borrow the idea. 

Being the cheap thirfty crafter that I am, I came up to an alternative to the paper mache boxes that sell at Michael's for $1. 

I bought these file folders at the dollar store. Than I came home and cut box shapes out of them with my Silhouette machine, and made them into boxes. 

Than I used washi tape to cover my boxes and make them pretty! 

These cute little boxes are perfect for little gifts. All I'd have to do is stick a bow on top (maybe even one of my scrap paper bows) and I have the cutest, easiest gift wrap! 

 The best part is that you'd never guess that these boxes were made out of dollar store file folders! 

(I mean, if I hadn't told you.) 

Have you made anything using waship tape? 




I was featured!!!





 
I'm sharing this project at the following link parties: 


~ The Cure For The Common Monday @ Lines Across ~ Make It Great Monday @ Etcetorize ~ What's In The Gunny Sack @ The Gunny Sack ~ Craft & Tell @ Cherished Bliss ~ Talent Tuesday @ Vintage Wanna Bee ~ Tutorials & Tips Link Party @ Home Stories From A to Z ~ Take-A-Look Tuesday @ Sugar Bee Crafts ~ Tell Me Tuesday @ Me And My Boys ~ Tip Toe Thru Tuesday @ Crayonfreckles and Tiaras & Bowties ~ Too Cute Tuesday @ Funky Polkadot Giraffe ~ Time To Shine @ A Diamond In The Stuff ~ Show Me What Ya Got @ Not Just A Housewife ~ Love It and Link It Up @ The Little Giggler ~ Wow Me Wednesday @ Ginger Snap Crafts ~ Lil Luna Link Party @ Lil Luna ~ Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims ~ Share The Wealth Wednesday @ Laugh, Love & Craft ~ Wicked Awesome Wednesday @ Handy Man Crafty Woman ~ Weekly Link Party @ Sew Woodsy ~ Show & Share @ Southern Lovely, My Lil Pink Pocket & Vintage Gwen ~ Spicy Link Up @ It's Just Called Spicy ~ Hoo's Got Talent @ Night Owl Crafting ~ Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage ~ Creative Juice Thursday @ Momnivore's Dilemma ~ I Made This @ Grit & Giggles ~ Show Me Extraordinary @ The 36th Avenue ~ BFF Open House Link Party @ The Answer Is Chocolate ~ Creative Genius Link Party @ The Creative Paige ~ Delicately Constructed Fridays @ Delicate Construction ~ Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now ~ Anything Goes Link Party @ Bacon Time ~ Weekend Wrap Up Party @ Tatertots & Jello ~ Free For All @ Young & Crafty ~ Whatcha Got Weekend @ Lolly Jane Boutique ~ Strut Your Stuff Saturday @ Six Sisters' Stuff ~ Show & Tell @ Be Normal Act Different ~ Saturday Seven Spotlight @ Positively Splendid ~ Think Pink Sunday @ Flamingo Toes ~ Sunday Show Off Link Party @ Twigg Studio ~ Sister Sunday Link Party @ Sisters Of The Wild West ~ Sundae Scoop Link Party @ I {Heart} Naptime ~

Consider This My Pre-Wedding Freak Out...

Warning: This is a seriously emotional post that I almost deleted...

While trying to plan out our wedding, I came across this post that had excerpts from literature that could be used as wedding readings. Since I love books, and am wanting something other than scripture read at our wedding, I was interested. 

I found the following excerpt from The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman. 

  “I will love you forever; whatever happens. Till I die and after I die, and when I find my way out of the land of the dead, I’ll drift about forever, all my atoms, till I find you again… I’ll be looking for you, every moment, every single moment. And when we do find each other again, we’ll cling together so tight that nothing and no one’ll ever tear us apart. Every atom of me and every atom of you… We’ll live in birds and flowers and dragonflies and pine trees and in clouds and in those little specks of light you see floating in sunbeams… And when they use our atoms to make new lives, they won’t just be able to take one, they’ll have to take two, one of you and one of me, we’ll be joined so tight…”

I absolutely love this excerpt! (Actually I like the whole Dark Materials series.) I feel like this is a beautiful speech from one person to another, trying to explain in a beautiful way, just how strong their love is. 

I'm just not sure if I can bring myself to use it. 

I'm not comfortable using words like death or dying in our wedding. It's even difficult to use the phrases forever, or the rest of our life, or until death do us part, mainly because I don't really know how long our forever is going to be.

My future husband is diagnosed with a terminal illness. He has gone through treatment like a champ, and he's done so much better than the doctors and nurses (and everyone really) thought he would. He is young and strong and healthy (ya know, other than the cancer) but even with how well he's done, we still never know. 

Should I mention that not knowing sucks! 

We don't know how much time he has left on this earth. We don't know if he'll survive a year or twenty. We don't know if he's going to be healthy enough to make plans too far in the future. We don't know if we'll be able to have the things that we've always talked about: a house and kids. We don't even know if he'll ever get better enough to go into remission...

source

 

What I do know is that I feel so blessed to have him in my life. I had no idea all those years ago that the blonde haired boy with the beautiful blue eyes that took a seat behind me the first day of 3rd period algebra would one day be my husband. (Okay, so maybe not knowing some things turns out alright.)

source

source

 It's so crazy for me to think about how different I thought my life would be, especially in planning my wedding and getting ready to enter a new chapter of my life. But the funny part of the whole thing is that there are some things that have never changed. I get to marry my best friend and will spend the rest of his life trying to make him happy. 

source

source

Clothespins... Not Just For Laundry Anymore

 Remember my pile of paper scraps that I showed you that I used to make my scrap paper bows? 

Well, after that project, my scrap paper pile looks a little bit more like this... 

crap, it's still there...


Since I wanted to eliminate a little more of my scrap pile, I decided to decoupage some clothespins and make it a stash busting 2 for 1! 

Pretty cute, right? 


While I was at it, I glittered a few extra clothespins I had hanging around. 

Why, you might ask? (Amazing Boyfriend Fiance did.) 

For lots of reasons. You can use clothespins as clips to close food bags. You can add magnets to the back and use them on the refrigerator for notes or coupons. They also make the perfect addition to a gift as a card holder. 


So maybe the real question is, why not? 

Man-Proofing My Tools

Awhile back I stumbled across this post on the amazing blog A Beautiful Mess. I loved the idea of covering my tools with fabric so that Amazing Boyfriend Fiance wouldn't think twice about borrowing them. 

The problem is that I didn't have any fabric that I loved enough to cover my tools with...

but I did have zebra print duck tape!

  Zebra print is one of the patterns that ABF happens to really hate. It happens to be my favorite. Can you see where this is going? (Insert evil laugh here) 

Didn't they turn out awesome?!

All I did was wrap the duck tape around the handles! 

It was as easy as that! 

Now ABF can keep his hands off my tools. Besides, he has enough tools of his own. (I should know, I borrow them all the time!) 

I've been featured!!!

 I'm sharing this project at the following link parties: 


~ The Cure For The Common Mondays @ Lines Across My Face ~ Make It Great Monday @ Etcetorize ~ What's In The Gunny Sack @ The Gunny Sack ~ Craft and Tell @ Cherished Bliss ~ Tutorials & Tips Link Party @ Home Stories From A to Z ~ Take-A-Look Tuesday @ Sugar Bee Crafts ~  Time To Shine @ A Diamond In The Stuff ~ Too Cute Tuesday @ Funky Polkadot Giraffe ~ Show Me What Ya Got @ Not Just A Housewife ~ Tip Toe Thru Tuesday @ Tiaras & Bowties and CrayonFreckles ~ Love It And Link It Up @ The Little Giggler ~ Talent Tuesday @ Vintage Wanna Bee ~ Spicy Link Up @ It's Just Called Spicy ~ Lil' Luna Link Party @ Lil' Luna ~ Wow Me Wednesday @ Ginger Snap Crafts ~ Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims ~ Weekly Link Party @ Sew Woodsy ~ Show & Share @ Southern Lovely ~ Wicked Awesome Wednesday @ Handy Man Crafty Woman ~ Share The Wealth Wednesday @ Laugh, Love & Craft ~ Hoo's Got Talent @ Night Owl Crafting ~ Creative Juice Thursday @ Momnivore's Dilemma ~ I Made This @ Grits & Giggles ~ Show Me Extraordinary @ The 36th Avenue ~ Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage ~ Creative Genius Link Party @ The Creative Paige ~ BFF Open House Link Party @ The Answer Is Chocolate ~ Delicately Constructed Friday @ Delicate Construction ~ Project Party Weekend @ Bubbly Nature Creations ~ Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now ~ Anything Goes Link Party @ Bacon Time ~ Weekend Wrap Up Party @ Tatertots & Jello ~ Free For All @ Young & Crafty ~ Strut Your Stuff Saturday @ Six Sisters' Stuff ~ Whatcha Got Weekend @ Lolly Jane Boutique ~ Show and Tell @ Be Different Act Normal ~  Saturday Seven Party @ Positively Splendid ~ Think Pink Sunday @ Flamingo Toes ~ Sisters Sunday Link Party @ Sisters of the Wild West ~ Sundae Scoop Link Party @ I {Heart} Naptime ~ Sunday Show Off Link Party @ Twigg Studios ~

What To Do When Scrap Happens

I've never really been all the into scrapbooking or card making, but somehow I end up with tons of paper scraps left over from decoupage projects. I hate to just throw all that pretty paper away! 

I was going through my library of silhouette shapes the other day and realized that I had a downloaded a free shape that was a template to make bows for gift wrapping... which made me think of my growing pile of paper scraps...

So cute, right? 

I cut out the pieces with my Silhouette machine, than mixed and matched the patterns. I used a brad to secure the pieces together. 

I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing to use these for, but I think they would make a great little addition to any gifts that I need to wrap. 

Has anyone else been working on any stash-busting projects lately? 

I was featured!!!

The Answer Is Chocolate

I'm sharing this project with the following link parties: 

~ The Cure For The Common Mondays @ Lines Across My Face ~ Make It Great Monday @ Etcetorize ~ What's In The Gunny Sack @ The Gunny Sack ~ Craft and Tell @ Cherished Bliss ~ Tutorials & Tips Link Party @ Home Stories From A to Z ~ Take-A-Look Tuesday @ Sugar Bee Crafts ~ Time To Shine @ A Diamond In The Stuff ~ Too Cute Tuesday @ Funky Polkadot Giraffe ~ Show Me What Ya Got @ Not Just A Housewife ~ Tip Toe Thru Tuesday @ Tiaras & Bowties and CrayonFreckles ~ Love It And Link It Up @ The Little Giggler ~ Talent Tuesday @ Vintage Wanna Bee ~ Spicy Link Up @ It's Just Called Spicy ~ Lil' Luna Link Party @ Lil' Luna ~ Wow Me Wednesday @ Ginger Snap Crafts ~ Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims ~ Weekly Link Party @ Sew Woodsy ~ Show & Share @ Southern Lovely ~ Wicked Awesome Wednesday @ Handy Man Crafty Woman ~ Share The Wealth Wednesday @ Laugh, Love & Craft ~ Hoo's Got Talent @ Night Owl Crafting ~ Creative Juice Thursday @ Momnivore's Dilemma ~ I Made This @ Grits & Giggles ~ Show Me Extraordinary @ The 36th Avenue ~ Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage ~ Creative Genius Link Party @ The Creative Paige ~ BFF Open House Link Party @ The Answer Is Chocolate ~ Delicately Constructed Friday @ Delicate Construction ~ Project Party Weekend @ Bubbly Nature Creations ~ Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now ~ Anything Goes Link Party @ Bacon Time ~ Weekend Wrap Up Party @ Tatertots & Jello ~ Free For All @ Young & Crafty ~ Strut Your Stuff Saturday @ Six Sisters' Stuff ~ Whatcha Got Weekend @ Lolly Jane Boutique ~ Show and Tell @ Be Different Act Normal ~ Saturday Seven Party @ Positively Splendid ~ Think Pink Sunday @ Flamingo Toes ~ Sisters Sunday Link Party @ Sisters of the Wild West ~ Sundae Scoop Link Party @ I {Heart} Naptime ~ Sunday Show Off Link Party @ Twigg Studios ~

The Perfect Baby Blanket...

While surfing Pinterest awhile back for baby shower ideas, I can across this pin from the blog The Crafting Chicks for what they have dubbed the perfect baby blanket. 

Perfect? 

I had to give this one a try! 

 My cousin, Jessica, is having her first little one, a girl that she's naming Harper Rose! (Seriously, isn't that just the cutest name?! I love it!) 

Since I needed to do something for a baby shower gift, I went to Jo-Ann's and after calling in a second opinion (Thanks, Tiffany!), we picked out an adorable monkey princess flannel paired with a baby pink minky fabric.  

I don't know about perfect, but for my first attempt at sewing a baby blanket, it turned out pretty darn close! I kind of wish that I had the time to make a whole stack of these to stash away for whenever anyone I know is having a baby. I know I'll definitely be making more of these adorable blankets in the future. 




I'm sharing this project at the following link parties: 


~ The Cure For The Common Monday @ Lines Across My Face ~ Make It Great Monday @ Etcetorize ~ What's In The Gunny Sack @ The Gunny Sack ~ Craft and Tell @ Cherished Bliss ~ Tutorials & Tips Link Party @ Home Stories From A to Z ~ Talent Tuesday @ Vintage Wanna Bee ~ Take-A-Look Tuesday @ Sugar Bee Crafts ~ Tuesday Talent Show @ Chef In Training ~ Tip Toe Thru Tuesday @ Crayon Freckles and Tiara's & Bowties ~ Time To Shine @ A Diamond In The Stuff ~ Too Cute Tuesday @ Funky Polkadot Giraffe ~ Show Me What Ya Got @ Not Just A Housewife ~ Tell Me Tuesday @ Me And My Boys ~ Love It And Link It Up @ The Little Giggler ~ Wow Me Wednesday @ Ginger Snap Crafts ~ Lil Luna Link Party @ Lil Luna ~ Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims ~ Weekly Link Party @ Sew Woodsy ~ Share The Wealth Wednesday @ Laugh, Love & Craft ~ Show & Share @ Southern Lovely ~ Wicked Awesome Wednesday @ Handy Man, Crafty Woman ~ Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage ~ Party Time @ The 36th Avenue ~ Creative Juice Thursday @ Momnivore's Dilemma ~ T.G.I.F Link Party @ Craft Junkie Too ~ BFF Open House Link Party @ The Answer Is Chocolate ~ Delicately Constructed Fridays @ Delicate Construction ~ Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now ~ Anything Goes Link Party @ Bacon Time ~ Creative Genius Link Party @ The Creative Paige ~ Weekend Wrap-Up Party @ Tatertots & Jello ~ Whatcha Got Weekend @ Lolly Jane Boutique ~ Free For All @ Young & Crafty ~ Strut Your Stuff @ Six Sisters' Stuff ~ Show & Tell @ Be Different Act Normal ~ Saturday Seven Party @ Positively Splendid ~ Think Pink Sundays @ Flamingo Toes ~ Sunday Show Off @ Twigg Studios ~ Sundae Scoop Link Party @ I {Heart} Naptime ~

Pretty As A Princess!!!

One of my favorite memories of my youngest niece, Kirra, is when my Mom brought her to my work when she was about a year and a half old. We took her into the children's department to look at clothes, and she found a pink Hello Kitty tutu skirt that she fell in LOVE with. However, it was a 4T which at the time was WAY too big. 

Since Kirra's third birthday was coming up, I thought it was about time that she finally had a pretty tutu! 

I cut a piece of elastic cording the same size as her waist (which I had previously measured), and sewed it together. 

Than I cut almost a yard each of pink, turquoise, lavender and white tulle into strips. I kinda guessed the length I wanted so that not all the strips turned out perfectly even. I also cut several lengths of the pink, purple, turquoise and lime green ribbon. 

I looped the elastic band around the lid of a bucket to pull it tight. Than I tied the strips of tulle and ribbon around the tutu and continued until I was finished. 

And what fairy princess-type skirt isn't complete without a fairy wand? 

Yeah, a little silly I know, but so stinkin' cute! 

Kirra LOVED it! Her Mom helped her put it on right after she opened it and she wore it the rest of the evening. Made this Auntie pretty happy!

me and Kirra

That last picture... my brother tried to take 3 pictures of me with Kirra in her tutu and this is the one that turned out the best. Seriously, that kid doesn't stop moving! 




I'm sharing this project at the following link parties: 


~ The Cure For The Common Monday @ Lines Across My Face ~ Make It Great Monday @ Etcetorize ~ What's In The Gunny Sack @ The Gunny Sack ~ Craft and Tell @ Cherished Bliss ~ Tutorials & Tips Link Party @ Home Stories From A to Z ~ Talent Tuesday @ Vintage Wanna Bee ~ Take-A-Look Tuesday @ Sugar Bee Crafts ~ Tuesday Talent Show @ Chef In Training ~ Tip Toe Thru Tuesday @ Crayon Freckles and Tiara's & Bowties ~ Time To Shine @ A Diamond In The Stuff ~ Too Cute Tuesday @ Funky Polkadot Giraffe ~ Show Me What Ya Got @ Not Just A Housewife ~ Tell Me Tuesday @ Me And My Boys ~ Love It And Link It Up @ The Little Giggler ~ Wow Me Wednesday @ Ginger Snap Crafts ~ Lil Luna Link Party @ Lil Luna ~ Your Whims Wednesday @ My Girlish Whims ~ Weekly Link Party @ Sew Woodsy ~ Share The Wealth Wednesday @ Laugh, Love & Craft ~ Show & Share @ Southern Lovely ~ Wicked Awesome Wednesday @ Handy Man, Crafty Woman ~ Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage ~ Party Time @ The 36th Avenue ~ Creative Juice Thursday @ Momnivore's Dilemma ~ T.G.I.F Link Party @ Craft Junkie Too ~ BFF Open House Link Party @ The Answer Is Chocolate ~ Delicately Constructed Fridays @ Delicate Construction ~ Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity Now ~ Anything Goes Link Party @ Bacon Time ~ Creative Genius Link Party @ The Creative Paige ~ Weekend Wrap-Up Party @ Tatertots & Jello ~ Whatcha Got Weekend @ Lolly Jane Boutique ~ Free For All @ Young & Crafty ~ Strut Your Stuff @ Six Sisters' Stuff ~ Show & Tell @ Be Different Act Normal ~ Saturday Seven Party @ Positively Splendid ~ Think Pink Sundays @ Flamingo Toes ~ Sunday Show Off @ Twigg Studios ~ Sundae Scoop Link Party @ I {Heart} Naptime ~