live, laugh, craft

Fall Wreath

2010-09-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

Fall is here... sort of. I still feel the blistering hot weather, BUT I know the leaves are about to start changing, the temperatures are about to start dropping, and pumpkins are about to come out! So, that is why I am starting my fall crafts....

And, I do believe that you will be quite impressed with the price of this lovely wreath. It cost me somewhere around 4 bucks! You gotta love the dollar tree. <333

First, I just gathered my materials... for four bucks... from the dollar tree! A styrofoam wreath template, some various fall leaves, and two kinds of ribbon.

Next, I wrapped the wreath template with my pretty fall leaves ribbon.

Keep in mind, all I'm doing is hot glueing this stuff. Simple, simple! Then, in groups of three leaves I started gluring little mini leaf groups together and positioning them on the wreath however they look best! Then, add your big piece of ribbon to attach it to your door. Finished!

The dollar tree also treated me well by giving me some cute fall kitchen decor. Yay for today!! I am VERY happy!!! :)

Love Magnets

2010-09-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

So, I wanted to jazz the refrigerator up a little bit. I have this odd obsession with magnets. I like to switch them out.... constantly. haha My friend Julie and I went to Hobby Lobby and grabbed some wooden letters, mod podge, and cute scrapbooking paper. All you do is cut the paper out to fit the wood blocks, mod podge it on there, then take some magnets and adhere them to the back! Simple, simple, simple!

I also stopped by a local thrift store, and bought a darling little knick knack to go in my living room bookshelf. Cute, right?

1 Corinthians. "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Cheesy Chicken Roll Ups... mmmmmm!

2010-09-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

So, I have came across a super easy family meal that is to die for! This has managed to move its way to mine and my boyfriends TOP FIVE list! I'll give you the ingredients, instructions, etc. But, believe me you must must must try this!! It is just too good to pass up.

Cheesy Chicken Roll Up Shopping List:

1 can of Pillsbury Butter Tastin' Crescent Rolls

1 can of ... well... canned chicken!

1 can of Cream of Chicken with Herbs soup ( I have also made Cream of mushroom and it is great also!)

1 bag of Kraft Pizza Cheese Cheddar and Mozzarella Mix

1 soup can full of milk

First, you get a deep dish baking pan. Spray a little Pam cooking spray on it, and preheat your oven to 350.

Then, drain your chicken and mix in some cheese.

Next, get out your crescent rolls, and place the chicken/cheese mixture on the big part of the triangle. Then, rolllll it on up!

After you do these steps... you want to place your rolls to the side. Next, you want to start creating your soup dish mixture. Heat a skillet on medium heat. Pour your soup and milk in there. Then, add a cup of cheese. Stir the mixture until the cheese has completly melted and there are no lumps in your soup.

After you soup mix is done, pour it into your deep dish pan.

Now, place your crescent rolls on top of this mixture. Stick them in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Now, sprinkle the remaining cheese from the bag all over the top of your roll ups. Stick it back in the oven for about 3 minutes. Then, look at the yummy/ beautiful result! Mhmmmmm!!!!

Enjoy!

Rock Star Purse!

2010-09-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

So, my Nana and I got together and made this super cute purse! To start off with, I gathered some pink and black material. I cut out 6 pieces of the purse sides. They were the same size. I also cut out two pieces of interfacing to match these sides. Next, I cut out two identical oval bottoms. I made two like interfacing pieces. Then, I ironed on all the pieces of the interfacing to the pieces of fabric. Of course, you iron it to the "wrong" side.

Then, I ironed the two sides of the purse together. You put the wrong sides together.

Then, you put the facing of the bag (the extra two pieces) pinned to the newly sewn bag. You sew the handles and top part of the bag together. This will hold everything in place.

Last, you want to flip the purse right side out. Take the bottom pieces and sew them together with wrong sides together. Then, take the bottom piece of the purse and pin it to the bottom of the bag. Last, sew it on! Your cute little rockstar purse is complete! haha

Please excuse this last picture. I look a HOT mess. I'd been cleaning and crafting all day!

Journaling is a must..

2010-09-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

Well hello blogland! It's been a minute. I started school back- which takes a ridiculous amount of time away from me.However, mostly it has been due to the fact that I had some internet problems. BUT, good news! It is back up and running for good! So, yay for that!!! Anyways, I wanted to start the Crafter's Devotional.

Day One:

This article starts out with journaling. It suggests that writing alone helps you to see your aspirations, meet your wishes, capture your dreams, and see your potential It also helps to capture fears and insecurities. I choose to make an art journal for my journal. I incorporate "art" into journaling. And believe me, you do not need to be an artist. I can barely draw stick people. However, it is still fun.

Francis Burney says...

"How truly does this journal contain my real and undisguised thoughts- I always write it according to the humor I am in, and if a stranger was to think it worth reading, how capricious- insolent and whimsical I must appear!- one moment flighty and half mad,- the next sad and melancholy. No matter! Its truth and simplicity are its sole recommendations.

So, like I said, I suck at drawing. However, here is my first attempt at art journaling. I am NOT claiming to have any artistic abilities. haha I just want to capture my feelings. :) Plus, my new craft book insists that this is a good thing. So, I guess I'm going to try it!

The text says," Close your eyes! Imagine... because you can't fear what you don't really know."

Last, I bought another really cool book today! It has to do with journaling and creativity. It's called ....

Wreck this journal! It was like 14 dollars with tax included at Barnes and Noble. Go check it out! Anyways, I'll talk to you all soon this time! No more internet problems... promise! Hope you all are doing well!!!

I have a super cool purse tutorial coming soon!!! So, get excited! haha ;)

arts and crafts from the heart of asheville

2010-08-27T16:08:00.001-07:00

So, I decided to take a trip to the lovely Asheville, North Carolina for a little arts and crafts inspiration. It was so fun! All kinds of local artists had their work displayed on shops, corners, stores, etc. They were showing and selling. I bought a few things, but mostly just got some awesome ideas. I thought I'd share some cool pics of things that would be cheap, easy, and fun to make. Enjoy!

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Crafter's Challenge at Live, Laugh, Craft

2010-08-26T16:44:00.000-07:00

So, my book has arrived! I am absolutly thrilled, and I cannot wait to begin. I am starting a "challenge" here at Live, Laugh, Craft. I am linking to my button at the bottom of this post if you want to participate. I will post the entire post from the book daily for 365 days. Plus, some other cool stuff of course! The book is laid out in a really neat way. This is the same way that the "challenge" / blog hop will be set up.
Monday= Mixed Media Journaling (this is quite interesting, and artistic!)
Tuesday= Recycle, Reuse, or Revive
Wednesday= Collection, Stash, and Cool Art Materials
Thursday= Personal History/ Get to know YOU
Friday= NonCraft Inspiration
Saturday/Sunday= Collaborate, Gather, and Experiment with an awesome CRAFT!

If you want to join this AWESOME creative adventure with tons of tips, techniques, tricks, etc. then take the button below and put it anywhere on your site... then check back next Monday... when all the fun begins!!!!
Until then, I'll just be putting up some cool crafts and projects that I've been working on. Plus, some super cute pics from my 21st. (Thanks for all the sweet birthday comments :) )

Here is the button for the challenge/blog hop starting next Monday. :) You can grab it from the right side of the page too, and get the html code to add it to your site!!

Much love!

Happy Birthday to me!

2010-08-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I'm taking a short break to celebrate my 21st bday today... soooo I will return to blogland tomorrow!!

Much love!

Inspire Me!

2010-08-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

So, last night my friend and I embarked on an adventure to the bookstore for some crafting inspiration! I found soooo many cools things that I want to do or at least try to do this week! The stuff I found was just so awesome that I couldn't pass up sharing it with you guys! Let me know if you make anything on my countdown... I'd love to see it! :)

Beaded Candle Holder- This would be so cheap and easy to make! Personally, I think some pearls wrapped around this would look gorgeous.

Book Flower Frame- I plan on making this craft this week! It is TOO CUTE. Love this idea. Plus, it would be really simple to make.

Wire Crafts- Sommer and I attempted this last night. We made little flowers. It looks harder than it is for sure. We got some 19 gauge wire, and I think if we would have got a smaller gauge it would have went a lot smoother. However, these designs look simpler, so it shouldn't be too difficult to bend and twist!

Stenciled Plates- I love painting plates! This is simple, but so cute!

Recycled Magazine Trash Bin

Homemade Stationary- I actually folded some paper and glued it with a glue stick this morning to make some super cute envelopes. I got the idea out of a book. They are really easy and fun to personalize!

Last, I stumbled upon this book that I MUST HAVE ASAP. It was like 25 dollars in the store, BUT I came home and did a little google search. I found out Amazon has them for like right under 10. Perfect! My copy is on the way... and I have BIG plans for this book. It's like 365 days of "challenges."

Just thought I'd share what inspired my Sunday morning. :) Anything inspiring stumble its way upon you today?

Dresser Redo/ Craft Room Update!

2010-08-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this is my dresser that I redid! I needed a little more room for craft supplies. The desk and closet were overcrowded, so I decided to give my ugly little dresser a little revamping. I like how it turned out! The before pictures are not so attractive. See...

So, I took the ugly little Walmart dresser outside to redo it. I cleaned it down with some VSP and water first to make sure that all the dust and glossy-ness was broken down. Then, I got these materials...

It is pretty hard to paint plaster board, so you need to make sure that the surface is extra clean. Otherwise, it will bubble up and peel off. Also, you need a really good primer. I took two coats to my little chest of drawers.

I let it dry about one hour between each coat of primer. It was a really hot day though, so the time may be different. About two hours later, I started the painting process. I put two coats of paint on, too. This dried overnight. Then, I took it in! I like how it turned out!

I thought the satin white color was a bit too bland, so I dressed it up with some cute flowers and laced ribbon all around the top edges. I started in the front (like pictures below) and just hot glued the lace ribbon all around the edges. I think this matched everything well. It also fit the crafty theme.

I filled the shelves with craft supplies and papers, etc. I also bough these super cute baskets for a couple dollars at Big Lots. I filled them with my most used craft supplies.

So, what do you think?

I Believe... frame

2010-08-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

So, last night I had the urge to use a bunch of super cute scrapbooking materials. I thought making a frame out of scrapbook stuff would be cool. Plus, I've never done that before. So, Devin, Sommer, and I got together for a craft night! I came up with the above picture! I have always LOVED the I believe poems that different people write and publish to their websites, profiles, signatures, portfolios, or whatever. Mine is really basic; however, these are my favorite things. I REALLY liked the idea of making something for my visitors to let them know the most important things that I believe in... just in case they don't already know me yet!

Materials Needed:

two kinds of scrapbook paper
ribbon
scrapbook embellishments and decorations
hot glue gun
glue stick
paint pen
alphabet stencil
frame

So, start off by cutting your scrapbooking paper to the size of your frame.

Then, take your sides and cover them with some ribbon.

Then, take your second piece of scrapbooking paper and your alphabet stencil. Start writing out your "I Believe..." beliefs. ha

After you cut out these words(or statements) then add all your embellishments and materials. Last, cover with glass and stick it in the frame! Your done!!!

By the way, thank you so much to everyone who has left me sweet comments and started following me!!! I get so excited each time haha Lame, I know. ;) Anyways, I'm very excited to be a part of the crafting blog community, and I look forward to giving you an awesome (hopefully??...) post and craft I make each day!

Much love,

Round Button Fabric Bracelet

2010-08-18T16:04:00.000-07:00

So, my friend Sommer and I made these super cute rounded fabric bracelets. I'll explain the how-to's of it below.

Materials Needed:

Hot glue gun

Ribbon or thread

Two different fabrics

First, gather 8 make your own buttons.(There is a front and a back.)

Then, you want to cut out small little square pieces of fabric. Make sure to make it slightly bigger than the button, so you have enough room to glue! Attach the back when the fabric is glued down. Repeat this step seven more times. Then, take your string or elastic thread and string them all. Tie when finished! The process is quite simple, but the result is so adorable!

I also went thrifting today on my lunch break at Haven of Mercy! I must say I was VERY happy! I got two things for $1.60 ! Yay! Look, look, look!

Thought this would be SO cute to put my buttons in. I desperately need to organize the craft room.

Then, I got an awesome black marble and silver necklace! Love it!

Cute Thank You Card

2010-08-17T17:10:00.000-07:00

So, my boyfriend's family got me some cute presents for my birthday. So, I decided to make a fun, easy, thank you card! I REALLY like how it turned out.

Materials for Thank you Card:

3 different kinds of cardstock

glitter letters or diecuts

paper or fabric flowers

buttons

ribbon

hot glue gun

mod podge

I think once you see the pictures, the rest should be pretty self explanatory. However, if there are any questions, just comment and I'll be happy to let you know what I did! Below is the outside and inside of the card. Then, I added an up close, because I just don't ever feel like my camera does my projects justice. haha :( I promise they look cute, though!

Ribbon and Bead Bracelet

2010-08-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

So, today Sommer and I made cute bracelets! We were inspired by some other bracelets that we saw in stores. So, we made an altered version. I really like how they turned out!

Materials Needed:
Ribbon of choice
Various beads big and small of choice
Elastic jewelery string

First, gather whatever beads you want to use for your bracelet. Then, string them on some elastic beading wire.

This is what it will look like after it is strung. Make it a little looser than your wrist, so the ribbon will be able to fit. Then, you tie the ribbon in the middle of the bracelet with two even sides hanging down. Start on one side, and start tieing knots just around both sides of the big beads. Then, do the other side. Then, tie the two sides together when finished. It should look something like the picture at the beginning. :) Try it out! It's a lot of fun, and comment if you do it. I'd love to see them!

I'm participating in this blog party, so go check out some other cool crafts people made.

Easy Black and Pink Decorative Pillow

2010-08-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

So, after MUCH confusion and aggravation that my sewing machine gave me, I made my very first pillow! I don't know where to put it up in the house yet, BUT I'm thinking the bay window would be nice.

Here is the FREE sewing machine I got from the yard sales. It's a Singer Tiny Tailor, so it is not the best. However, it got the job done! Me and Sommer spent MANY hours last night working on the bobbin. I think we quit trying around 3 AM. haha

Materials Needed:
sewing machine
1/2 yard of fabric
pillow stuffing
thread
ribbon

Ok, so first you fold your fabric in half. Then, you straight stitch 3 sides of the fabric. Make sure that one of these sides is the side that was already closed from folding the fabric. For the last side, you want to sew down both sides. Leave a spot in the middle that is big enough for you to fit your hand down in to stuff the pillow.

Then, turn the pillow inside out!

You want to stuff the pillow pretty full, because it will flatten. When you are done stuffing, thread a needle. Finish sewing the remainder of the pillow by hand. Then, add some ribbons or a bow. This is a cute little finishing touch!

You can also add a cute little ribbon and tack it down with a needle and thread. This is how I kept mine!

Fabric Flower Arrangement

2010-08-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

So, I spent my Friday night with my lovely friends( left to right it's me, Devin, and Sommer), and woke up a little on the tired side, BUT I knew I couldn't miss out on the infamous Saturday morning Yard Sale-ing. I'm SO glad I went! I got tons of cool stuff, and some things to make the craft of the day!

First, I went to Evergreen. Got some nice assorted flowers, and planted them in this cute little pot. I spray painted it a light brownish color. You can't tell in the picture, but the big flowers have PINK leaves and stems. My mind was blown, and it had to be mine. I love pink.


Then, I got SUPER excited. While thrifting I got all those clothes, a NEW sewing machine, and some fabric. I paid $5 !!!! God was especially good to me today. :) I think the cats were pretty excited, too! haha Zoey is the black kitty, and Scout is the orange and white one.

Now, on to the craft! Night Owl Crafting had an awesome tutorial for making some little pinwheel flower decorations. I did mine pretty much just like that, except tweaked it to make it a little more personal. Anyways, I'll post how I did it! And here.... is the final result! I LOVE it.

Materials:
Vase or little dish
Pebbles, rocks, beads, etc. to fill the container
Ribbon
Various buttons
Fabric
Wooden Sticks
Hot Glue Gun
Adhesive Fabric Paper
Iron

So, first you cut your pieces of fabric. I made 2 6in by 6in, 2 that were 4.5 by 4.5, and 3 that were 3 by 3.

Then, you take a piece of fabric and iron on the adhesive paper. Then, put the matching sized different fabric on top of. Iron for about 15 seconds to get the two pieces of fabric to stick together.


You fold the paper in a little triangle. Cut starting at the tip at the top of the picture. Cut almost to the other end, but make sure you DO NOT cut all the way up.

Next, you unfold it, and refold the triangle shape in the opposite direction. Cut the same way as mentioned above. When you are done, open the fabric. It should look like this...

Then, you start with one piece of the folded fabric. You hot glue every other piece down to the middle. This will make the flower shape.
Last, you hot glue the button in the middle and wrap your sticks with ribbon.
Fill your glass with rocks, then stick your little fabric flowers down it, and you're finished! I also used my extra ribbon to tie a bow around the vase. I added some buttons, too! What do you think??

Inspired by the crafting community...

2010-08-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

So, I was really inspired by some of the awesome craft sites I've been visiting lately. I added them on the right to my link's list. Anyways, I figured I'd start the post off with some recent pics of things I've updated in my little townhouse just to show what I've been working on! Plus, tonight I'm REALLY excited. I found a pretty cool tutorial on Night Owl Crafting. I'll post pics later of how I did.... I did things a bit different, but still got the idea from her FABULOUS site.You can click below to check out her site!


This was my first little "mini" project. I bought some vinyls and cut them apart. Then, I put them on cardstock scrapbook paper, and framed them. Total cost= like 4 bucks! YES! And if you can't read it (because my camera sucks) it says, "Love makes everything grow!"


Then, I was oh so excited about this! I am in love with Audrey Hepburn. So I re-set up my little bay window with classy pics, candles, pillows, and such. The curtains are black and white, so they match my bedroom. I bought curtains with little slots in them so to speak, so I went to the dollar tree and just bought some fake flowers to stick in them. Yay!


This was a cool idea I got from Ashley's Thrifty Living. It was a two dollar mirror! Check out her site that I linked on the right to make it! It's so easy and so cute!! By the way, this is NOT the right colors of my wall, mirror, and picture. I MUST invest in a new camera asap!


I had to include this because I ADORE yard sales. I got this little black "tray" for .5 cents! What a steal! I repainted it, and decorated the mirror parts with scrap booking materials and look now it is presentable! haha Always looking for POTENTIAL is key. ;)

Anyways, I am off to work on the awesome craft I mentioned above. I will take pictures of the step by step process, so I will have a tutorial up later or tomorrow! Please comment, I would really love to get to know some of you all! Hope to hear from you soon! By the way, does anyone know about competitions or crafting days in the craft blog community? haha I have been real interested, but I have no idea where to start...