beautiful messes.

I spent most of yesterday afternoon crafting,

working on Mother's Day gifts & making cards

for moms, graduates & birthdays.

I used some of my favorite washi tapes,

and even though I made a mess, I had to snap a picture.

Finding beautiful in the mess is important, don't you think?

Hope you all have a simply wonderful weekend!

organizing my threads.

I love having a bunch of pretty embroidery floss around to stitch with,

but it can turn into such a tangled mess!

I saw this idea on Pinterest & knew I had to give it a try. ;)

So I spent a couple of hours on a Saturday doing this...

{all of my floss + miniature clothespins}

{I labeled each clothespin with the floss number

in case I need more of the same color.}

{and, done!}

My threads don't get tangled,

and they look so pretty in a mason jar!

{diy} a pennant banner

thanks so much for all the sweet birthday wishes yesterday! {{hugs}} to you all!

*****

Several years ago, my mom got a birthday banner that she puts up for every. single. birthday.

She loves it. Me? Not so much...

I should have snapped a picture of it, but just imagine

pink, purple, yellow and tootsie rolls. Not my style at all!

I decided that a new birthday banner was in order. So I made one myself!

I love these pennant-type banners :: I like the neutrality, with the ability to dress it up if you want to. It was really easy to put together, with just a little time and effort.

I used:

- kraft cardstock paper

{bought at Michael's in a pack of 50 for $3.99, used a coupon}

- letter stencils

{you could buy these, or make your own. i printed the letters

out on plain cardstock and cut them out very carefully to make the stencils.

this was the most time-consuming part!}

- a sharpie or other marker

- ribbon

- hole punch

-small silver brads

{i got these at Michael's a couple of years ago}

Once you've gathered your supplies, you'll need to cut out the pennant shapes.

I made my own template, and it's easy to customize the size you want.

I was able to cut 3 pennants out of one 8.5x11 sheet of cardstock.

If you aren't sure of the size, play around with it.

Next, trace out the letters onto the pennants.

I made 2 banners, "hurray" & "happy birthday".

Once I got the outlines traced, I filled them in with a black sharpie.

I used mini brads, so I ended up punching the holes with my paper piercer.

Then I just attached all of the pennants together.

The brads make it easy to fold up the banner to store it.

Last step!

Punch holes at each end of the banner and string some ribbon through for hanging.

See?

I love it!

And it's so easy to personalize for any occasion.

I used the instructions from Erin's blog for the paper "thing" {I'm not sure what it's called!} - I just added a '20' to the middle for fun!

Happy crafting!

{crochet} do you?

autumn brights washcloth set from easy123

Our local homeschool co-op is offering an Intermediate Crochet class this semester.

My sister and I signed up {grateful that this was a class for adults, too!}, something we can do together and learn some new stitches & techniques.

I've known how to crochet for quite awhile now, although I wouldn't call myself proficient.

I make a few things really well, but need some new inspiration.

I like to crochet practical things, things that have use and purpose.

I'm excited to see where this class will take me!

Do you crochet? What is your favorite project to work on?

I've been crocheting washcloths left and right lately!

{zebra print}

I love when other people know I'm crafty.

Because then I get questions like...

"Can you fix this dress for me?"

"Oh, you can figure out how to make boutonnieres, right?"

"Will you make a headband to match this dress?"

And really, I don't mind. I like helping people. I like doing things. So it all works out.

This week I made this adorable headband:

So fun, right?!

It's for my {future}* niece, for her birthday.

Her grandma {my future* mother-in-law} made her a dress with zebra print fabric and hot pink accents.

Now she has the perfect accessory!

I really hope she likes it. :)

What have you made this week?

*just a note: when I refer to my {future} family, it's actually my sweetheart's family. hopefully that's not too confusing!

{Monogrammed Candles}

Oh, how I looove candles!

If there was one thing I "collected", that would be it.

I also love to give candles to other people {go figure}!

This year for Christmas, I needed an easy, inexspensive {read: cheap} gift, and then I needed 2 of them.

One for my mom, one for my Sweetheart's mom.

I wandered the aisles at Michael's for hours...

{probably only one hour, but it was a while.}

I finally found my solution, and it turned out so cute I just had to share!

Here's what you'll need:

A jar candle

Ribbon {I used 2 kinds}

Paint to match

Small letters {they can be hard to find, so you may have to improvise}

A hot glue gun or super glue

First, you'll need to paint your letters. Front, back, sides, all of it! Make sure the paint is thoroughly dry before moving on to the next thing.

{With my candle I did first and last initial; you can do that, or your own monogram version. Whatever works best!}

Next, be sure to peel the label off of the candle and heat your hot glue gun.

Once it's ready, hot glue that letter right onto the jar!

{Arrange it however you like!}

The last step is to tie your ribbon around the mouth of the jar. I used 2 different types of ribbon {I couldn't resist the brown/gold combo!}, but if you only have one kind, that would work, too! Just make it look good. I'm sure you can figure that out on your own. :)

And here it is!

They turned out very cute, and the ladies loved them!

'Cause really, who doesn't love a monogram? *wink, wink*

These would be great to make for birthdays, bridal showers...very easy, not much expense...sounds good to me! I'm already planning the next one I'll be making. ;)

{Linking up to Kimba's DIY Day!}

{Finally}

Yesterday afternoon, I told myself that I had to take these pictures. And I did. Although I'm not the best photographer in the world, but at least you'll get the general idea.

You ladies certainly are creative! I loved all the ideas you gave me, and I'll share a few before I show you what I actually did make.

Eva Gallant:

Maybe individually they could be used as an accent pin on a dress or coat; or glued around a vanity mirror like a frame?

Juggling Thoughts:

What about a pin in the hair? Or attach a hair tie to it?

Ms. Diva:

I'm thinking what about putting them on a fleece scarf?

Lisa Kate:

Sew them onto a few headbands, for sure. I think they would make ultra cute accessories!

There were other great ideas, too, and if you'd like to read them you can check out the original post.

I liked the scarf idea, and I got these fleece examples for $5. So I had to group them in three's (I can be a little strange like that), and instead of sewing them directly to the scarves, I sewed them onto safety pins and pinned them to the scarves. So if you wanted the flowers in a different spot, you can move them! I thought that was a nice touch.

I was also planning on making some hair pins. I made 3 sets, but 2 of them went bye-bye before I took the pictures (They were Christmas gifts for my sweetheart's nieces). So I can only show you the one, but they're all really cute.

{The color is kind of strange in this picture...sorry. Someday I'll learn to take better photos. Or get Photoshop so I can fix them.}

I also got some simple plastic skinny headbands to use:

I actually wore the purple-flower headband last week for fun, and people liked it! The 2 white headbands will have their own flowers someday soon, I just haven't done it yet.

So there ya go!

I'm sure there's more I can do with these, but right now I don't have much time to play around with them. I have made more though, so if inspiration comes upon me, I'll be ready. =)

I will hopefully put up a tutorial on how to make these yo-yo's after the New Year, but if you're dying to know how to make them now, Heather Bailey's tutorial worked great for me!

Oh, and if you come up with any more clever uses, be sure to let me know. =)

{Needing Ideas}

Yes, I am needing ideas. And I need all of you to help me out. You see, I came across this Heather Bailey tutorial on how to make yo-yo's (which I'd rather call flowers), so I've been making them.

And stacking them, and adding buttons, and all that good stuff.

But now I'm at a loss.What should I do with these lovely little flowers? I could attach them all to pins, but then where would I use them?

I know you ladies can be creative, so please help this poor girl out.

What should I use these flowers for?

I'm up for pretty much any suggestion. Except for sewing them into a quilt. But you know what I mean.

And maybe if you're really nice, I could send you one?

I've Got My Sew On!

I would not say that I am a stranger to sewing, necessarily. My grandma taught me the "basics" when I was younger, and I can definitely sew buttons and mend tears and that kind of thing. Earlier this year I made myself some skirts and a dress for Katheryn.

So, not a complete stranger.

However, I would love to be like the fabulous Gussy and churn out cute little pouches like she does. Maybe someday I'll be able to. Anyway, Gussy was sweet enough to suggest some books and give me some sewing tips, and so now I'm (finally!) revealing what I've been working on.

This is the book that I've gotten the most use out of:

Bend the Rules Sewing

I love the cute patterns in this book, and my first project was to try the Artsy Clutch (which is the project on the cover of the book). It took a little doing, mainly because sewing lining in really confuses me, but finally I figured it out:

It has a button-and-loop closure, and it's pretty much just a soft bag folded in half. Open it up, throw in you cellphone and some lipgloss, and you're ready to go!

Then I thought, Well, that wasn't too awful...I'll try another!

So I did.

Burgundy, Black and White is one of my favorite color schemes ever.

After I made the clutches, I decided to try for an actual bag.

It's not really a purse, but I've been carrying it around, and it's great for my small stuff, especially since I usually don't need all the stuff in the huge purses I carry around!

There's even a little pocket inside!

So yes, I've gotten my sew on. Do think I should keep it on?

And many thanks go out to Gussy for all her help! =)