Making A Mess With Some Paint!

Wow, it has been a while since I last blogged. Now, tt's not that I have been doing any thing that is not worth posting, but rather, I can't seem to find the time to finish even one of the five or six projects I am currently in the middle of.

Lets see...

I am currently working on a few birthday presents for my littlest sister Emma...she is going to get two special homemade books (details to come).

I am making a bean bag toss game for Jack.

I found two small wooden baskets...crates...I cannot think of what to call them....at the thrift store the other day that I am going to repaint for Jack's toys.

I am making a homemade "I Spy" book for Jack, and also have an awesome new quiet book that I finally finished the pages of and now just need to assemble it.

There are a few more odds and ends things I have been working on as well that I will hopefully be able to post soon.

The last two weeks have basically been non stop... we had our VBS Sports blast, then our church revival, then went to visit hubby's parents for a few days. So now that things have slowed down a lot, I will hopefully been able to finish most of the projects.

Tonight however, instead of using my free time after little man went to sleep to finish up one of the many projects listed above, I decided to paint.

I am not sure why, but I seem to go through these phases of wanting to paint a lot, and then I don't paint again for a few months.

But since I am my mother's daughter I have become a little bored with the pictures I have had up for the last four years and need a change!

So after just 3 hours here is the finished product...





I just love projects that only take a few hours to complete!!!! It is already framed and hanging on my wall :-) (I wish the picture quality was better, but picnik is not working (UGH!) and that is what you get when you take pictures with an iphone!)

This kind of painting technique is called under painting (my friends from Mrs. Beuchley's class will remember this)...and it is so much fun!

To make your own under painting you will need...

Watercolor paper
Wipe off board, cardboard, or anything to paint on that can get messy (VERY messy)
Pencil/Crayon
Acrylic Paints
Paint Brush
Spray Bottle
Damp Paper towel
Inspiration Picture

Okay so here is how you can paint your own Under Painting

1. Grab your inspiration picture and get to drawing on your watercolor paper. Use a pencil or crayon to do this since it will disappear a little better when you get to the real painting part (pen is harder to cover up)

2. Now Take your damp paper towel or wash cloth and thoroughly dampen both sides of your water color paper then lay your paper on your wipe off board (card board, etc)

3. Next choose three colors of paint (I usually go with primary colors-red, blue, and yellow but for this one I did red, blue, and green since my flowers were going to be yellow)

4. Take your paint brush, dip it into one of the colors and then very messy like make about three "blobs" of color randomly on your picture slightly rubbing them in with your paint brush. Do the same thing with your other two colors.

5. Now comes the fun part- fill your spray bottle with water and get to spraying your picture. Try to use the mist setting...it works better. You can spray as much or as little as you want...
I like for my picture to still look a little "globby" (probably not a word). But if you want the under painting to not be so harsh use lots of water. Spray up, down, sideways.
Warning- This part is messy!!!! You might want to put an old towels under the board to catch the dripping paint water.

5. Next let your picture dry standing up.

6. Once it is dry you can start painting. The key to an under painting is to not completely cover up the first layer of paint but to let it show through in different areas.

7. Let it dry, frame it, hang it up, and then brag to all your friends that 'yah, you made it'!

That is it!

What is great about an under painting is that you really can't go wrong with it! It doesn't have to be perfect since you make a mess of it to begin with.

So GO!...get a little messy and make your own under painting! Don't worry about making it just right... have fun, relax, and in the words of my wise mother, go for
'Completion Not Perfection'.

Sand Box Fun

The weather here in Oklahoma has been beautiful lately! The sun has finally been shinning on a regular basis. The mornings are cool and the afternoons are hot.

All of this has been making me CRAVE more time outside!
Thankfully little man LOVES being outside as well...

But we live in an apartment and therefore have no back yard.

We do however have a small porch.

So I started trying to think of some fun things we could do and play with on the back porch.

The first thing I decided to get for him was a sand box. So I started looking around at some stores and on the internet. After some searching I realized that there are not a ton of options for sand boxes out there. They have some cool mixtures of sand and water tables but they are all too tall and a little too mature for Jack. I found the classic green turtle sand box but it was a little too big for our porch and was more than I really wanted to pay.

So I started thinking a little outside the box (pun intended...hehe)
And here is finally what I came up with.....

Jack's new sand box


I used a plastic under the bed container that has an attached lid for the sand box itself. It is perfect for our back porch! It is low enough to the ground so Jack can reach it and long enough that if he wants to actually sit in it to play he can. I also love that it has a lid so when we are finished playing I can close it up...no kitties using this sand box!



Jack wasn't too sure about it at first...this is his 'but mom it is dirty!' look.



...but in no time he was digging right in...



...and trying out how it taste...



GROSS right!?!?



I gave him a shovel and a few of his toys to play with and he had a blast!



Want to know the absolute best part about this sand box?

It cost me...

$7!

Amazing huh!?!

How did I get it for so cheap? I had mentioned to my mom a few weeks ago my idea for Jack's sand box. Well when she came to visit me this past week she brought along the container for me to have...isn't she just wonderful! So all I had to buy for this sand box was the sand. I bought two bags of play sand from Wal-Mart ($3.67 a bag), dumped them into the container and PRESTO! Instant sand box!

Now if you don't just have an extra under the bed tote laying around the house, or a fabulous mother who will give you one; check out your local thrift store. My mom actually originally got this tote at the thrift store for only $1.99! Pretty awesome!

If you still don't have any luck at the thrift store check out wal-mart or target, they usually have them for around $10-$20. Which is still cheaper than the $40-$60(or possibly more) you would spend on a turtle sand box.

The last thing I bought to make Jack's sand box area complete was the mat you see in the pictures. Our back patio is of course concrete- which can be very painful on a baby's knees. So I found this adorable mat at Target for $2.50! What a deal!

Have fun playing outside this summer! I know we will!!!

From Satin To Lace

I so enjoyed having my sisters here with me this past week! It was so wonderful to get to spend time with them, talk with them, and create with them.

While digging through some old clothes my sister Erica spotted this vest which she immediately fell in love with...



The only problem with it...the back of it was black satin that was terribly torn apart.

she immediately handed it to me and said "fix please"

So I dug through my fabric stash and pulled out a couple different options to replace the back of the vest.

Erica looked them over and finally settled on some white lace...

I began by cutting the back off of the vest off to use as a pattern...

Next I took a pen and traced around the satin onto the lace(leaving about 1/2" for the seam)...

then I cut out the lace...

hemmed the sides so it wouldn't fray...

reattached it to the front...

and...

TADA! Good as new :-)

I think the lace actually ended up being a very nice choice. It adds something a little different and unexpected to the vest!

And of course Erica looks fabulous in it!

Fabric Flower Head Band

My little sister Andrea is definitely a very fashionable girl!

No matter what the occasion she always looks adorable and trendy. She can always pull off the cutest outfits, hats, shoes, and scarves that I wish I could!

So I knew I needed to make her something fun and very "Andrea".

A little while back I found this adorable black dress at the thrift store. It had these beautiful black flowers on the top and such a cute skirt with big pockets. Problem- it was just a bit too short and just a tad too tight...

...but it was only $2 so I decided to buy it any way! I figured I could do something with it! (more coming later as to what I did with the rest of the dress).

Since Andrea is always wearing cute hats and things in her hair I knew a "head band" of sorts was just the way to go.

All I did to make this head band was...

cut two of the flowers off of the black dress I purchased...

Then cut three 1" strip of black t-shirt- all the same length (measure them around your head to make sure you cut them long enough)...

Braid the three strips and sew the two ends together...

Finally sew the two flowers directly on to the braided band....

ALL DONE!

Super easy and super quick!

Now if you don't just have some super cute fabric flowers on hand, check out Ruffles and Stuff's post here...she makes this adorable bouquet tank and gives you a step by step tutorial on how to make the flowers, plus gives you links to sites that show you how to make the other flowers. Any of them would look beautiful on a head band!

Have fun making your own fabulous head bands!

T-Shirt Shrug

While my little sisters were in town this past week I also decided to go through my closet and pass down all the clothes that were either too small for me, or that I had not worn in the past year.

While digging through the pile of clothes I found a bunch of t-shirts. They were all too small on me now, but I was looking for old t-shirts to cut the bottom off of after I saw this tutorial on I Am Momma Hear Me Roar. I love the idea of the modesty of an extra layer, but with out the bulkiness. So I went ahead and took a bunch of t-shirts I had and cut the bottoms off to make my self a few.

My sister Erica had mentioned a little earlier that she would love for me to make her a shrug.
So it worked out perfectly that one of the t-shirts I had cut the bottom off of was a pink t-shirt with a deep scoop neck - perfect shape for a shrug.

I also found a gray tank that had buttons down the front of it (I prefer to use pieces that already have buttons and button holes sewed on. I abhor sewing button holes!).

To make the shrug I first cut a straight line up the middle of the pink t-shirt.

Next, I cut off the bottom of the gray tank, folded it in half, and sewed it to the bottom of the pink t-shirt.

Then I cut off the section of the gray tank that had the buttons and holes on it and sewed it to the edges of the front of the pink shirt.

To finish it off I added a little of the gray tank to the sleeves of the pink shirt for a little extra embellishment.

Thankfully my little sis Erica is a skinny minnie and the shrug fit her perfectly!

T-Shirt Braclets

Since I had made Erica a present (Forever 21 Dress), and Emma a present (the bandanna tunic), I decided that I had better not leave my other two sisters out.

So I started looking around at some different blogs for ideas for the girls.

Now Erica and Miranda have been very into the whole rope/friendship/fabric bracelet thing. So after I saw this idea from Lil Blue Boo for recycled t-shirt bracelets I knew I had found the perfect present for Miranda.

She shows you how to make a braided version on her blog and then gives you a site (V&Co) where you can buy a tutorial on how to make the wrapped ones.

I decided that I liked the look of the wrapped ones the best but would just try to figure it out on my own.

and here is what I came up with...



I used four different colors of t-shirt scraps that I had on hand to make these.

It took a little bit of thinking as to how to make them keep their round shape and not just fall apart. So I played around with them for a while and finally got an idea.

I love bangle bracelets! As a result I have one entire drawer of my jewelery box that is devoted to them. Some are very nice, and others are just cheap thin bangles (and I have a ton of the cheap thin ones).

So I decided to take a few of the thin bangles I had to use as a base.

Next I cut two thin strips of t-shirt fabric...preferably two different colors.

Hold both strip of fabric in one hand, and with the other wrap them around the bangle. When you have wrapped the entire bangle simply tie them off....and viola! You are done!

Don't worry about making it perfectly spaced or anything...I think it looks better if it is not perfect. Do make sure that you wrap them tight though so they don't become loose. You may even consider putting a small dab of hot glue under the knot to make sure they don't come undone.



I wasn't surprised to find that Miranda LOVED them!

My First Mother's Day

Mother's day last year was spent with my little baby still growing in my tummy. He still had a good 2 more months to cook!

Now I have taken care of other people's babies, and even my lil sis when she was first born. But I had no idea what it was like to actually take care of my own baby. What it was like to hold a precious little one that was MINE.
To be a mother.

It is crazy how things can completely change in one year!

how some one so tiny and helpless can completely change you!

and being a mother has changed everything.

My son is my entire world. I love him so much! My hearts deepest desire is that I would be the kind of mother that would help Jack to grow into a godly man. That by my example and teaching that he would come to know Christ's love and forgiveness. That he would be convicted daily by the Holy Spirit. And that when he grows up that he becomes a man of true integrity, one that loves God, his future wife, and children.

Being a mother is truly a high calling. Having a baby is "easy", but being a mother requires so much more love, self sacrifice, and dedication! I am so thankful that God has given me the chance to be a mother! I only pray that I can be the mother I know He desires me to be.

Here are a few of my favorite memories of being a mommy from the past year...

I am so blessed be this little boy's mommy!

Bandanna Tunic

I had a wonderful Mother's day this year! It was so nice to not only spend it with my husband and son, but to get to spend it with my four sisters!

My parent's left on friday to go on a cruise to Jamaica for their 25th wedding anniversary. So friday morning they brought the girls and dropped them off with me for a few days.

I have had a bunch of fun girl craft ideas floating around in my head the past few weeks, so I decided to take this opportunity to make a few things for the girls.

One of the first things I made was this bandanna tunic for my littlest sis!

Doesn't she look cute in it?!

Poor thing had to close her eyes...the sun was making them water like crazy!

And this is her striking a model pose....hehehe! I love it!

All I used to make this shirt was two bandannas and a piece of soft rope.

I simply folded the top point down and sewed a straight line across about two inches down to create a hole for the rope to pass through.

Next I took the rope and cut it in half so I would have two pieces.

Then slid one piece through the "tube" in the top of the bandanna,

made sure it was even on both sides,

gathered it slightly,

then sewed the sides of the rope in place so it wouldn't slide out.

Then I did the same thing to the other bandanna.

next I lined up the two bandannas right sides together and sewed down the sides to attach the two (you might want to have your little one try it on first to make sure it won't be too small or too large).

Since bandanna edges are already finished you don't have to hem anything :-)

The last thing I did before having lil sis try it on was to put a knot in the ends of the rope so it wouldn't fray.

Then I had Emma try it on and tied the rope at the top to finish it off.

There are a few tutorials on other types of shirts and clothing you can make out of bandannas
here, here, here, and here. Check them out and give them a try!

FOREVER 21

April 27th was my little sister's 21st birthday!

Isn't she beautiful?!?!


She put in a special request for me to make her something for a present instead of buying something. She mentioned that she loved my purple shrug and wanted something refashioned like it. So I dug through my closet and ended up with...

...this skirt and this dress...

I bought the dress from a thrift store (originally from Forever 21) for $2 about a month ago...I though it was adorable so I went ahead and bought it even though the top was a bit too small on me.

I bought the skirt from Target...on clearance about a year ago for $3...I loved the skirt but decided to go ahead and part with it since it was going toward a worthy cause.

So I began cutting and sewing and piecing together...

...and here is what I came up with...




I cut the bottom off of the skirt and attached it to the bottom of the dress. Then added some trim to the top of the pockets. I replaced the plain yellow ties at the top with fabric from the skirt. Finally I cut out the bust and two side panels and replaced them with skirt fabric. I made the two side panels a little large so that it widened the top of the dress...too tight top...problem solved!

I was really excited that she was going to be visiting me (along with our 3 other sisters) for mother's day so I would be able to give her the dress in person.
And to my delight it fit her perfectly!!! Yeah!!!

Happy 21st Birthday Erica!!! I love you so much and am so extremely proud of you and excited about what God has in store for your future!

Like Mother Like Daughter

I am definitely my mother's daughter!

My mom loves to fix up her home. She loves to make it feel cozy, comfortable, happy, full of sunshine, and color. Growing up, our home was constantly re-decorated, re-organized, and re-arranged. Every few months at least one room, if not more, in the house would get a bit of a revamp. Whether it was moving furniture, re-arranging pictures on the wall, or actually painting the walls something was being done to our house.

I love that about my mom!
and I do have to say that I did inherit that need for change...or maybe it is just an ability to see how something would look better if I just painted it...added new pillows...or re-arranged it...

either way I have definitely been in that mood lately! My home desperately needs a little spring brought to it! I am tired of dark winter colors and am craving some bright, sunny, and springy (maybe it is a word?) colors!

Well that fabulous mother of mine was shopping the other day and spotted some beautiful springy fabric...and better yet...it was on sale. So being the fabulous mom she is...she picked it up and brought it to me when she visited a few weeks ago.

My kitchen is mostly red...but I have been feeling lately like it would benefit greatly from a little bit of yellow. So when my mom showed me the fabric she bought I was thrilled! It was absolutely PERFECT! One was yellow and white striped and the other was a yellow floral print.

So with my mom by my side...power tools in hand...and sewing machine ready to go...we gave my kitchen just a quick little face lift...


Here is the Before pic...


and here is the AFTER...



What a difference a little color makes right?!?! I am so thrilled!

I recovered the chairs, made a table runner, added some candles, and made a cover for the microwave stand.

My previous red chairs...


...are now bringing some spring into my kitchen!


a new table runner and some awesome candle holders that I found at the thrift store...all three for only $5!!! Oh YEAH!


Next on my to do list...find some beautiful fabric to make pillows that will take my dark green leather couches from feeling cozy winteryish (definitely NOT a word) to light and springy!


P.S. A special thank you to my mom- Thank you for always making our house a home! You are such an amazing mother and godly woman. You truly are one of my best friends and my hero! I love you mom!

Learning Our Colors

So I am sure it is pretty obvious by now that I LOVE making fabric books! I would almost say that I love making them more than Jack enjoys playing with them (well eating right now- he is teething after all!)

I love the idea of children playing and learning all at the same time. And I truly believe that it is never too early for a child to start learning!

So I decided to make him a book to help him learn his colors (hopefully he isn't color blind like his daddy). I also wanted him to be able to learn concepts like shades of colors, pattern, texture, and shapes with this book. Each page is devoted to a different color. I used different patterned cotton fabrics, felt, ribbon, silk, ruffles, fake leather, stuffed shapes, and some fuzzy fabric.

So here it is...Jack's COLORS book...

If you would like to make a fabric "Quiet" book here are a few blogs you should definitely check out....

How to Make a Quiet Book

Homemade By Jill

and Hippos and Dinosaurs has an adorable ABC quiet book...that I definitely see myself having to make in the near future!