DIY feather earrings

I love this trend. And after buying a few pairs, I've found a great way to make them and here is how:

Materials:
- earring hooks (hobby lobby, michaels, etc.)
- feathers ( got mine at craft store and local tackle shop)
- crimp clasps
-pliers
-beads

Steps:
1. Place feather inside crimp clasp.
2. Using pliers, pinch clasp closed
3. Remove coil from earring and replace with decorative glass beads
4. Open earring bottom loop
5. Add feather with crimp clasp
6. Pinch earring loop closed

And your done!

DIY locket photos

So I've been working on some DIY jewelry and I found some great lockets at Meijer. Here is how I got the picture the right size:

1. Order photo ( i used Walgreens) in wallet size.
2. Take wallet size print and scan it (at photo kiosk in store).
3. Take scanned wallets and have those printed in wallet size. (leaving you with 8 small photos)
4. I used a scrapbook punch to make photo fit.

Here are the pictures:

Monster High House

My daughter loves Monster High.  I am surprised they haven't marketed a dollhouse for these dolls, but needless to say I found my own way to make a house for these creepy gals!  Heres how:

Materials:

• 9 cube shelving (got mine on sale at Target for $30)
• Scrapbook paper (look for Halloween themed packs)
• Modge Podge
• Foam Roller
• Hot glue

Putting house together:

1. First wipe down shelving so there isn't dust on it. 
2. Decide on paper for walls, floors, and ceiling.  I took a piece of cardboard and layed it inside to make a template.  Walls, floor, and ceiling are all the same dimensions, so you can use the template for each area.
3. Cut out your scrapbook paper.
4. Place a coat of modge podge on surface.
5. Carefully lay scrapbook paper on top, then use a foam roller with modge podge to cover.  Using the foam roller will eliminate wrinkles.  If it helps, instead of adding modge podge to surface, you can hot glue the paper down and then just place a top coat of modge podge on it for protection.
6. For the parts on the organizer that didn't have backs, I added fabric using my hot glue gun.
7. Once all areas are covered, its time to accessorize!

Accesories:

• Spider candle holder (bought at CVS after Halloween for $0.50)
• Felt pieces
• Book lights (from Dollar Tree)
• Fabric Pieces
• Small dowel rods
• Fake flowers (Dollar Tree)
• Small wooden flower pots (dollhouse section at craft store)
• Small pictures frames
• Small mirrors (craft store)
• Puck lights (Dollar Tree, Lowes, etc.)

Ideas:

1. Using felt, cut out scenes to look like window.  Add curtains by gluing fabric to a small dowel rod.  Glue window on first, then dowel rod with curtains above.
2. Buy felt in different patterns and cut in different shapes.  Use as rugs in the house.
3. Book lights from the Dollar Tree make PERFECT lamps for this house because they clip onto the edges.
4. Place photo frames on walls with pictures printed off internet of Monster High characters.
5. For Laguna Blues room, I found a small toy at Dollar General ($1) that you could add water to to make fish grow.  It made a perfect fish tank when glued onto a candle holder.
6. Found chair candle holders at Goodwill and spraypainted them and removed candle post.  They make perfect chairs.
7. Used a tealight holder as a coffee table.
8. Added felt and foam to top of spider tealight holder for a spooky chair.
9. Paint flower pots and add fake flowers for decor.

Check out these pictures:

For this furniture, I followed this tutorial on youtube!  Super easy!  And check all her other videos!  She is amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORbliLGsDDM&feature=related

Chalkboards Galore!

So I must admit, I sort of have an addiction to chalkboard paint!  My daughter and I like to leave little notes for each other alot, so I took my love for chalkboard paint and put it to use:

Materials:

• Chalkboard Paint (can get at Michaels in acrylic paint section for $0.97 or Home Depot even has a variety of colors)
• Paintbrush
• Tape

Steps:

1. Tape off section on interior door (I did this on my daughters bedroom door)
2. Paint 3 coats of chalkboard paint, letting each coat dry before adding the next

This is a great spot for messages, reminders, or just words of insperation!

DIY Clipboards

For my daughters teachers this year, I took some ideas from Pinterest.  Here are the clipboards I made and how I did them:

Materials:

• Clipboards (picked mine up at goodwill, they were brand new!)
• Scrapbook Paper
• Scrapbook Embelishments
• Ribbon ( $0.47 cents a roll at walmart)
• Modge Podge

Steps:

1. Cut scrapbook paper to correct size.  I did a different pattern on front and back.
2. Cover clipboard in modge podge. 
3. Place paper on clipboard.  I did the clip seperate of course.
4. Add name if you wish.  I used scrapbook letters that came in the pack of scrapbook paper.  I also added lace at the top. 
5. Cover in modge podge and let dry.
6. Add quotes or embelishments.
7. Tie ribbons are hole in top of clipboard!

There you have it!  A perfect gift for a teacher!

Lego party gift favors

So I needed some cheap Lego themed party favors. Here's what I did:

1. Got bags at target (10 for $3.99)
2. Glued foam circles on to look like Legos.
3. Bought dollar store bubbles and glued Legos on. (purchased cheap Lego set for $3 at dollar general an used these pieces for all items)
4. Bought beaded necklaces and glued Legos on with glue gun.
5. Made CD of my nephews favorite songs. Glued Legos on cheap jewel case and printed a cover.

Lego party

I am in charged of my nephews Lego themed birthday party. Here is another game:

Pin the head on the Lego man:

Materials:
-poster board
-yellow foam squares
-markers
-sticky poster tack


Steps:
1. Draw Lego man on poster board (minus head of course)
2. Cut Lego head out of foam and draw face.
3. Add poster tack to the back.
4. Blindfold kids and see how they do!

Advent Gift Board that can be used for other countdowns/holidays/special occasions.

Ok I wanted to create a gift style board for my daughter this year for Christmas.  I did alot of exploring and decided to use some ideas I saw and create my own that could be used for other occasions as well.  Heres how:


Materials:

• One piece of plywood (got mine at Habitat for Humanity resale shop for $1)
• Paint (for board and clothes pins)
• Chalkboard paint (used acrylic small bottle from Michaels that cost $0.94)
• Velcro
• Clothes Pins
• Puffy Paint (optional)
• Picture hangers
• Epoxy or other type of strong holding glue
• Circle template (I used a cap)

Steps:

1. Paint board your desired color.  I did silver since I am using this for multiple purposes.
2. Paint clothes pins desired color.
3. Using a pencil, draw a banner for where you will paint chalkboard paint. (Where you want your heading)
4. Glue you clothes pins in place.  Make sure they are at the bottom of the board and allow for items to hang from.
5. Trace circle template above clothes pins.
6. Paint chalkboard paint onto banner and in circles (circles are for days/numbers)
7. Outline banner and circle in puffy paint.
8. Add velcro to corners.  The velcro is so I can change the theme.  For christmas, I added Santa and reindeer.  For birthday, I will change and add birthday themed pictures.  For schoolwork, I will change also.  This makes the board multipurpose.
9. Add picture hangers to the back!
10. Place small gift bags (got mine at Dollar General for $0.50 each) on clothes pins each day.  Or add childs artwork for display.

Heres how mine turned out:

Punch A Prize Party Game

For my nephews birthday, I am in charge of games.  I created this punch a prize game for very cheap!  Heres how:

Materials Needed:

• One science fair board (got mine at Michaels, was $4.99 but used 50% off coupon so I paid $2.50)
• Paper lunch sacks
• Tissue Paper (bought a pack of 25 sheets at the Dollar Tree)
• Clear Tape
• One CD (for tracing circles)
• Exacto Knife
• 12 small prizes

Steps:

1. Trace CD onto science fair board.  I did 12 circles and the board stands on its own.  I would think doing more may mess up the balance or make it too heavy.
2. Cut out circles using exacto knife or any knife.  This cardboard cuts very easily!
3. Cut 12 squares slightly large than the circles.
4. Using clear tape, tape tissue paper onto back of board over each circle.
5. Cut top off of brown bag (I did about 1/4 off).  Slit each of the corners of the bag about 1 inch down and fold over.
6. Add clear tape to each flap.
7. Place small, lightweight prize in bag.
8. Tape bag over tissue paper.
9. Reinforce using more clear tape if needed.
10. Decorate the front as you wish!

This can be used over and over again once you get the board done.  Here is how it turned out:

Kids will love being surprised by the prize they get.  If your prizes are too heavy, place numbers inside bags and have numbered prizes off to the side! 

Feathers Galore!

So I have really gotten into the new feather craze.  Ive started making feather hair clips and extensions.  I use all types of feathers, including some from the fly fishing section of a local bait shop.  Also I have found that hobby lobby has great peacock feathers that are made for jewelery that are simple.  I use floral wire to wrap the feathers together and then add wire.  Here are some examples:

Loft Bed

I wanted my daughter to have a bed that had a reading loft above it, but not one that was the full size of the bed.  My wonderful boyfriend designed this:

He modified plans I found on anawhite.com.  Needless to say she loves the bed!