Handy Crafts

One of my favorite things to do with my three year old is to make all sorts of different crafts. Today our theme was hand prints - partially inspired by Pinterest and partially inspired by my daughter's favorite show, Out of the Box. We had a few things on our to-do list that I thought we could incorporate into our craft time today and below is what we came up with: Our first step was to start out with tracing a bunch of hand prints. The plan was to do a few thumbprints and footprints too but we didn't get too far with that plan!
Next job was to colour and decorate up the prints (before cutting!). I tried to convince her to try a few different colours but, come on mom....that's crazy talk!! :)

In addition to tracing out the hand print and colouring them, we also made some prints by covering her hands with some acrylic paint and stamping it down on some paper.
This one was my favorite of the day. I had seen this on Pinterest and it originated from a blog called A day in my Life. We needed to make a thank you card for my aunt so I thought this would be perfect. We glued hearts on each hand, one saying "i love you..." and the other holding our note of thanks. The middle section, of course, completes the message with "i love you...this much!". Next on our list was to make some hugs to mail to some out-of-the-country family. We made these ones out of the hand prints we had cut out. Then we measured my daughter's arm length and cut out a piece of ribbon to that measurement. And voila! A hug, just her size!

For the top one we had cut out a matching hand print and wrote out our message on it. Below, both sides of the hand prints were decorated so we just cut out some more hearts, pasted them on and wrote out a small message.

And finally, my daughter made a card for her to give to my husband. We made a few thumbprints, using the acrylic paint, and a set of hand prints to make a cute face. I just hand wrote a message on the card but you could also print off a message and paste inside. This card reads "I love you the most..." on the front and then on the inside I wrote, "hands down!".

I love making little projects with my daughter and I can hardly wait until my youngest is old enough to join in. It's so much fun to see them experience and explore different types of crafting, especially when it crosses a few things off of my very, verrrrry long to-do list!

Happy Crafting! :0)

Wish List Wednesday

I would like to introduce my second Wishlist Wednesday item...I think it's one of the very first items I "hearted" on etsy when I joined waaaaaay back when.

Right now, there seems to be a huge demand for fun, funky aprons. I love the sweet '50s style ones that are very popular right now because they are an excellent combination of fun and flirty. I also love the aprons that are the half style, covering you from your waist down. I think I would be more comfortable, however, wearing one of these types of apron (as opposed to the full out sexy '50s style ones) while actually cooking/baking in the kitchen and especially if I was entertaining at the same time; the aprons from Snappy Shop appeal to me in particular because they offer such fun, memorable, and original designs (in the form of the apron's pocket).

My favorite part of this apron in particular is the matryoshka pocket, of course, but I also love the fun, bright pink of the cotton/poly fabric, in combination with the polka dot tie. This apron will set you back $45 USD (plus shipping) - very worth it in my mind for all the great memories you'll have when wearing it and baking up a storm in style!

DIY Handmade Gifts

So every year around Christmas time I kick myself for not starting my handmade Christmas gifts a little earlier. I love the idea of giving someone special something I've made with my own two hands.
Keeping in mind that there are so many other things to think about over the year (and other holidays to craft for - omg, Valentines day is coming up already!!) I thought I would make a mental note of some items that would be great to make. When some free time pops up (does that actually happen?) I can go back to my mental list and maybe start a project or two! 1. Burlap Table Runner
Who: This would make a great hostess gift. Every year, without fail, my family celebrates Christmas Eve at my aunties house and I would love to present her with this gorgeous runner. From the Living with Lindsay blog, this piece is a beautiful mix of the textures and, who isn't in love with ruffles.

2.Lion Taggie Toy

Who: Super fun gift for stocking stuffers or as a small gift for family friends who have babies. I love this so much because you can play around with textures and colours. It doesn't have to be a lion, I'm sure you could easier convert it into a puppy, a cat, or whatever your imagination can come up with. Chez Beeper Bebe blog has a tutorial for all your crafting needs on this one!

3. Family Portrait Cross Stitch

Who: Perfect for parents, newly married couple, or anybody! I'm pretty sure I almost pee'd my pants when I saw this. What, a cool cross stitch pattern? What personalized? OMG! I love absolutely every thing about this (tutorial at Martha Steward.com) and I can't wait to make one for my own home!

4. Heart "Felt" Bookmarks
Who: In my case, this is SO perfect for co-workers. Easy to make, inexpensive, and full of thought these would be so great for the 10 people in my office (tutorial from Simple Serendipities). Maybe I could even monogram each persons first initial on them.

5. Family Tree Embroidery

Who: Grandparents, in-laws or parents. This is such a lovely thoughtful gift and for me, I know my mother-in-law would love this. You can framed or not, it can be personalized to reflect things that are important to individual members of your family, and it can include whatever your heart desires! Love it. There was no tutorial for this one, but the picture can act as a source of inspiration for your own creation!

So now the easy part is done...choosing some handmade lovelies. The real work start soon....I HOPE! :)

My new Pinterest Interest...well, okay, obsession!

Okay, so I finally broke down and figured out Pinterest. If you don't know what this is, it's an AMAZING website that allows you to make virtual pin boards for any theme you can imagine. You take a link and upload it onto your "pin board", you then select an image from that link and voila...you have started to create a board! Now, I didn't fully realize how absolutely awesome this website was until I started playing around and, omg, I can tell you - it's flippin' life changing!! Every craft, DIY project, hair style, home decor idea, fashion guide, inspirational quotation, etc. that you could ever want and or imagine is there! I love love love it.
Although I have only been a member for a short time I have created 21 boards (and counting) which range in topic from: Fashion Fabulosity, Home Decor, My 2012, Birthday Party Ideas, Super Suppers, Free Printables, and so much more! I'm telling you, the possibilities are endless! Just imagine how helpful this website would be to someone who is planning a wedding, redecorating their home, throwing a baby shower, and really just about everyone! ;)
Below I've listed 5 of my current favorite pins from 5 different boards, just to give you an example of how great Pinterest is! 1. I re-pinned this from another member and the link brings you back to a website called PB & J Stories. I pinned it to my "Organization" board and i love it because it's brilliant!! I love the idea of re-purposing an every day item like this to organize your life. Even if you only had an old ugly magazine holder laying around you could totally jazz it up with a little spray paint and imagination!

2. I re-pinned this absolutely gorgeous bag to my "Fashion Fabulosity" board and it links back to an Etsy shop called Crazy Boy. It's $45 USD and I would love it as part of my wardrobe! The stripes are absolutely lovely!

3. This third pin links back to a blog called Wit and Whistle. It's so smart, simple, and looks great! A few years back I was on a mission to find a perfect cheese platter and I never did find one that I loved. Well, now I can just make my own using a white dish and some chalk paint! I put this bad boy in my "Projects" board.

4. Now this one I re-pinned but it doesn't link back to a webpage. It was uploaded by a member so I'm not sure if it was there own photo or taken from a website. I found it by searching "bunk beds" (my 3 year old is constantly asking for bunk beds!). I pinned it into my "Home Decor" board - something to come back to in a few years for inspiration perhaps!

5. And finally, I pinned this one, grabbing the link directly from a Stencil website . I'm obsessed with many things....two of them being polka dots and the idea of re-finishing old furniture. I LOVE the look of this nightstand and think it would go so perfectly in my baby's nursery. I pinned this one to my "Re-purposed/Re-finished Furniture" board for inspiration.

So, this is obviously a super small sampling of what sort of ideas you can get from Pinterest. I am in absolute love with this website and am so excited for all the possibilities it brings! If you are on pinterest my user name is: mrslavaj . I would love for you to drop by and check out my boards! Leave you username in the comments sections of this post and I'll come and check out yours too!! Happy pinning! :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy 2012 to all you bloggers and blog-readers out there!! I hope you all had an amazing night and a super fun holiday season! I know my family and I did and I am so looking forward to the year that awaits us ahead. We were so blessed in 2011 and have soooo much to be excited for in 2012!

The big question everyone asks now that it's a new start in the new year is, "what's your new years resolution?!". Well, I usually don't make a resolution, per say, but this year I have decided that it is going to be an awesome 12 months and I'm going to make some new policies to live by! Here are a few things that I plan to focus on:

1) Be more f*&($#@ fabulous!

This year I will be turning 30. This doesn't bother me at all, but what DOES bother me is how much in a rut I've gotten lately especially when it comes to my wardrobe! So, this year, I vow to be a BIT more adventurous in my attire. I've always wanted to try out new things but at the last minute chicken out and resort to my old reliable safe jeans and t-shirt. As proof of my commitment to my new fabulosity, I wore a spectacular dress last night that I love. When I first put it on and looked in my wardrobe mirror, I'm not going to lie, I had a strong urge to rip through my dresser drawers for my yoga pants. I stayed strong though and rocked it all night long in my dress. Here's a link to the Etsy shop, Heart my Closet, were I purchased my new lovely: http://www.etsy.com/shop/heartmycloset?ref=seller_info

My sister(right) and I

2) Be more organized

With two little girls, life can get hectic! Not to mention we are going on some pretty awesome trips this year, I'm going back to work, AND I will be in a wedding this summer...this all means, I need to stay more organized!! This month I'm hoping to set up a designated crafting area - as opposed to my kitchen table, which always end up taking over our whole house like one giant crafting monster mess -, clean out my closets, organize my kids activities (yes a 3 year old and an 8 month old and I'm already busy busy busy with their activities), and organize how my life will look when I get back to work (dayhomes, work schedules, etc.)!

3) Cherish every single second I get in my wonderful life!

As I mentioned before, this past year was soooo good to us. We are so blessed and I absolutely recognize it. However, many important people in our life hadn't been so lucky in 2011 and it really makes me realize that we have to be thankful for every second. I know I sometimes complain about long line ups, bad sleeps, and all those little annoying things in life but when it comes down to it I am soooo very thankful for all that my family and I have and I will remember this every day! I hope you do too!! :)

SO....Happy New Year to you all and I wish you a safe, prosperous, wonderful 2012!!

p.s. Do you have any new years resolutions? If not, I suggest the one about being f$#@*(&^ fabulous! lol!