Today I would like to dedicate some craftiness to one of my all-time favorite fall activities…football!  While I tend to gravitate towards college football, this craft could just as easily apply for the pros.  Regardless of what your favorite tailgate beverage might be, I can assure you it will look much more festive when sipped casually through one of these cuties.

Ready to make some of your very own?

Supplies Needed:

• Cardstock in your favorite team’s colors
• Straws, also in your favorite team’s colors
• Glue or Glue Stick
• Helmet Punch (or die cuts from your favorite machine, you will need two helmets for each straw)

Instructions:

1. Punch out your helmets.  For this version of this process I used my Silhouette to quickly cut out my helmets using some cardstock I had left over from another project.   You will need two helmets for each straw you want to make.
2. Using your glue cover the back of one helmet. I use a glue stick when I want to whip these up really quickly, but choose to use paper glue for the ones I sell in my store).



3. Carefully layer the second helmet onto the first, taking care to line up the edges all the way around. Make sure you press to seal the pieces together around the straw.



4. Repeat for the remainder of your straws

Wouldn’t these look fun for a sport themed birthday party as well?

Total Cost: $1 and up

See quick, easy…and cute! Will you decorate for your tailgate area this year? Can you guess who my team of choice is based on these colors?

War Eagle!

Like these but have no time to make your own?
Check out my shop and message me about creating a set custom for you!

One last project going on in our household this week is the labeling of my hubby’s home-brewed pumpkin ale.  However these fun labels could look fun over your favorite pumpkin brew or any other fun Halloween beverage.  This could even be fun for other fall festivities or Thanksgiving.

I printed these out on standard paper and then ran them through my Xyron machine, so these labels won’t stand-up to being iced down.  Then I setup a cut file on my Silhouette (which I’m still learning how to use) and cut them out.  The labels were quickly thrown together, but overall I’m happy with how they turned out.

Don’t have all the fun toys above?  That’s ok too!  You can easily make your own by downloading the printable PDF from below and printing it out onto full sheets of labels and then trimming around them!

Click to Download Printable PDF

Now that the pumpkin ale labels are finally all attached and ready for a Halloween party this weekend…it’s time to start thinking about fun ideas for the Holiday Ale coming up next!

I hope each of you has a safe & spooky weekend, Happy Halloween Y’all!!

I had almost forgotten about posting this little quick project. Last Halloween my FIL hosted a bit of a Halloween party in his “under renovation” home. The “under renovation” part meant we didn’t even start decorating until a few hours before everything was to start. I learned it’s amazing what you can throw together really quickly…including this fun addition to his street number light post that cost less than $1 to make.

Supplies Needed:

• Plastic Table Covering (from your local dollar store)
• Scissors or Rotary Cutter & Mat
• Tape (I used painters tape, but scotch would work as well)

Instructions:

1. Carefully unfold the initial vertical folds of your plastic table covering so that it is still folded vertically. (This will allow you to cut longer strips quicker and more precise).



2. Using your scissors or cutting tool measure over approximately 2 inches and cut up the length of the outside vertical edge of the table covering.



3. Repeat 3 more times so that you have 4 strips.
4. Carefully open up your strips so that you have one long piece. Hint I keep mine doubled so the color is a bit more pronounced.

Wrapping the Post:

1. Using your tape attach the bottom of the first strip to the bottom of your post at the angle you wish your strips to run.
2. Carefully wrap the plastic strips around over the tape and then start carefully wrapping the plastic strip up the length of the post. Make sure to keep the strips pulled just tightly enough to keep it in place.
3. When you reach the top, use an additional piece of tape to hold it in place. Don’t worry about the tape showing since the bow will cover it up.

Creating & Attaching the Bows:

1. Take the second strip (again I always use a double layer of the table cover) and hold it in your hand about 6 inches from the end.
2. Make a loop folding it to meet your fingers in the center.
3. Repeat on the opposite side. Repeat steps 2 & 3 until you have approximately 7 inches of the strip leftover.
4. Loop the leftover strip around the center and tie the two ends together.
5. Pull your loops to make them all uniform in length (it’s ok if it looks a bit flat at this point)
6. Carefully open up the loops of the bow, pulling apart the two sections to “fluff” up the bow.
7. Repeat using remaining 2 sets of table covering strips.
8. Using the 6 inch trailers tie the bows around the top of the light post. By tying them all side by side it the bow will go completely around the top of the post and give a much fuller look.
9. Either trim the trailers to have pointed ends, or tuck them inside the bows so that they don’t show.

The great thing about this project is I still had about 1/2 of my table covering left…which was a perfect size to either cover the long island in his kitchen (or make a Halloween wreath?). Also, since it’s made from plastic it wasn’t an issue when it started raining a few moments later!

Total Cost: $1

You could also use this same approach using any of the plastic table covers found at your local dollar store…I’m thinking a red and white candy-cane look could be fun for Christmas!

Looking for more Fall or Halloween projects? Check out the side bar to the left for a quick listing!

Well hello there! I’ve missed you guys while I’ve been toiling away on a huge work project that I wish I was able to share. It ended up being almost 100% DIY and has really tested my abilities to be both crafty, economical, and yet still extremely professional. Now I’m creatively tired. Does that make sense?

So, today lets talk about Halloween and how bats can be cute.
Ready to make some of your very own?

Supplies Needed:

• Black Paper or Cardstock
• Glue or Glue Stick
• Toothpicks
• Bat Punch (or die cuts from your favorite machine)

Instructions:

1. Punch out your bats. I used a punch I picked up at JoAnn’s with a 50% off coupon. You could also cut them using your favorite die cut machine. You will need two bats for each flag you want to make. (Hint: with this punch I could get roughly 20 individual bats from one 8.5×11 piece of cardstock).
2. Using your glue cover the back of one bat. I use a glue stick when I want to whip these up really quickly, but choose to use paper glue for the ones I sell in my store).
3. Place your toothpick on the glued bat.



4. Carefully layer the second bat onto the first, taking care to line up the edges all the way around. Make sure you press to seal the pieces together around the toothpick.



5. Repeat & Add to Cupcakes or Other Spooky Snacks

Want to jazz up your Halloween party a bit more? Repeat this process using straws to use when you serve up your “witches brew”.

Total Cost: $1 and up

See quick, easy…and cute! How will you decorate for your Halloween festivities this year? And, after you finish a big DIY project do you too find yourself creatively fried?

(Like these but have no time to make your own? Check out my shop for limited quantities available for sale!)

So yesterday you saw our first re-purposed item coaster attempt, today I”ll show you the latest additions and how they came about.

Back in June, the boy and I celebrated one glorious year of marriage with a fun little trip to Asheville, NC.  We took a couple days off from work, and the hubs planned out the where/when/how and kept it as a surprise destination until the morning we left.  He chose Asheville because 1)I had never been 2) it offered plenty of outdoor activities (which we both enjoy) 3) it offered nice lodging & dining options and 4) being at a high elevation that Atlanta it would be a nice relief from the oppressive heat that has plagued the Atlanta area this summer.

All I can say about reason #4 is HA!   Mother Nature definitely didn’t get that memo, and instead it was a sweltering mess of high temperatures mixed with humidity from the depths of places known for fiery torture.  Any of your familiar with Weddingbee might remember that Mrs. Snow was getting married in Asheville in June…yes, it was the same weekend and she blogged about the crazy weather swing as well.  So, we rearranged several of the things the boy had in his plans so we didn’t melt away in the oppressive heat…and in the midst of wandering around we realized that weekend was also the River District Artists Studio Stroll.

So we drove over and wandered around through several of the studio’s, not really looking for anything in particular.  Then right before turning around to make our way back to the car (and out of the heat) we walked into Michael Hofman’s Studio.  Michael makes beautiful pieces of porcelain pottery using antique lace to make impressions into his pieces.  Some of the lace he uses is centuries old, from things like christening gowns & wedding dresses.  It was quite interesting to meet him, and see part of his process in action.  He was even telling us about someone who brought in their grandmothers wedding dress to use to create their wedding china (incidentally the dress was not harmed in the process).  So we looked around thinking we might pick up a serving platter, but then the boy picked up these small square plates and said “hum? think they could be coasters?”

So, we picked up two of the square tapas plates.  Once home, we again brought out some felt pads from the local dollar store (the thinner of the selection this time) and added one to each corner of the plate.

Instant coasters, that once again provide a useful reminder of our anniversary trip!  Look at the lace details up close…aren’t they stunning?  Those lace details also provide a place for beverage sweat to pool, gotta love it when something is both beautiful and useful.

Can you tell we tend to purchase only mementos that have an actual use around our house?  We tend to buy art or handmade pieces to commemorate special trips or events…that and I buy magnets (which I still need to figure out what to do with since I’ve picked up magnets from my travels my entire life).  What do you pick up as mementos of special occasions or trips?

This is one of my final “envelope of doom“ projects, but it’s one you could use for many other things.  I’ve been wanting to try my luck at stamping metal objects with my letter punches I picked up a while back with a 50%  off coupon and this gave me the perfect excuse.  I think I still need to work on the pressure I “stamp” or hammer each letter with…but overall I was happy with how it turned out.  Since these items were intended to be gifts, I included this little guy in a SwapBot package (visit this post for more info on swapping).

And yes, I realize that isn’t Basil.  My basil plant just died so this was my indoor option.

Supplies Needed:

• Letter Punches, I have the Making Memories Stamping Die Set
• Metal item to use as plant marker
• Large piece of floral wire (not pictured)
• Hammer
• Solid surface (in my case our sidewalk)
• Black permanent marker or paint
• Glue (like E6000) – optional depending on your item

Instructions:

1. Gather your metal item to stamp.  I’m using a metal pendant from my envelope of doom, but metal washers or even flattened spoons also look fun!  Use your imagination.

2. Find a solid surface that won’t scar, but also won’t give when you hammer the letter into the metal.  If you are worried about concrete marring the opposite side of the item and your set didn’t come with the little mat like mine did, you could always put down a thin layer of fabric to protect the item.

3. Measure to determine if your word will fit on the item

4. Start from the top, pick the first letter and align on the item.  Hit with hammer.  (sidebar: I was a bit frustrated with something the afternoon I attempted this project so it was great stress relief to hammer on something…although it might have caused to hit a few letters too hard.

5. Repeat with the letters down the length of the item.  You’ll get the hang of how much pressure you need after a few letters so having a test piece to work on first would be helpful to some.

6. Next it’s time to make those stamped letters stand out a bit more.  Using a black permanent marker or paint quickly color in the first letter and then wipe the excess off so that only the groves are painted. Repeat for each of the letters.

7. Now it’s time to attach your metal tag to the wire.  If you are using a flattened spoon, you can skip this step since you already have a stake on your tag!  This is also where your version will differ from mine…I had a loop on the top and two pieces on the bottom of each side. So I was able to bend each of these pieces towards the back of my piece.

8. This is also where your version will differ from mine…I had a loop on the top and two pieces on the bottom of each side. So I was able to bend each of these pieces towards the back of my piece.

9. Fold your wire in half and start to attach it to the back of your metal piece.  For a washer open the wire up much like I have below to form an inverted “V” and then glue to the back of the washer.  I was able to feed the wire up through the top loop and then secure it to the back by bending the sides down on top of it.

10. Let glue dry, add to plant and enjoy

Do you label your garden plant? We didn’t do such a great job of that this year, but next year I plan to create DIY plant markers.  If you’ve created your own please share your favorite garden marker project links.

PS.  I hope each of you has a wonderful Labor Day Weekend & War Eagle!

In the last post you saw the fun Craft-it-Forward apron that made it’s way to Lisa (visit this post confused by what Craft-it-Forward is all about).  Today’s post picks up with participant #2′s crafty treat.

Becky is a fun internet friend I “met” while planning our wedding, and she and her mister will tie the knot in a few weeks.  After glancing over Becky’s blog it is apparent she is a fan of  sunflowers…so I decided she needed something with a sunflower on it and intended to make her an apron with a sunflower pin as well.  Until… I was watching Glee one evening and had a fun idea for her based on my girl Emma’s necklace.

(source: Polyvore)

So I decided to attempt to create something similar for Becky, and set off to several local thrift stores in search of the perfect flower.  I found something similar and then posed the following question to her via twitter, “Painted or Gold”…she choose painted and so I painted the gold-tone brooch to be the bright colors of a sunflower.  I then paired the sunflower brooch with three strands of green glass beads to get this:

And finally to help get her started on her own Craft-it-Forward projects I included a little bag of crafty items from my ever growing stash:

I had a blast putting together these two fun Craft-it-Forward packages and I hope they enjoyed receiving them.  Now, tell me…am I the only person obsessed with Emma on Glee?  I wish whoever styles her character would come make-over my wardrobe!  Want your own Emma inspired necklace?  Check back next week for the opening of the Dill Pickle Picnic Shop!!

Oh…and congrats to Becky & her mister as they spend the next few weeks wrapping up their wedding plans and celebrating their marriage!

Ages ago you might have seen several posts about a fun little crafting challenge/giveaway I participated in called “Craft it Forward”.  If not, check out this post for all the details.  I ended having a really hard time getting in touch with the 5 winners (who knew it would be so hard to give something away) and I ended up with only 2 participants.    Hopefully my next challenge/giveaway will be a bit more successful (hint, hint…there might be something coming up in September).

Today, it’s time to show off the goodies that the the lovely Lisa M found in her mailbox earlier this summer.  Using that large bolt of fabric I picked up at Goodwill for $2.00, I created this little apron for her:

And since the flower could get a bit dusty with all that baking, there is an extra flower pin to switch it up with from time to time:

And finally to help get her started on her own Craft-it-Forward projects I included a little bag of crafty items from my ever growing stash:

It was really fun getting back into sewing (this was the first project I had sewn start to finish in a long time) and it was especially fun to just sit down without a pattern and see what I could come up with.  Lisa, I hope you are enjoying your apron and have as much fun as I did when you do your crafts to pass along.

Check back on Monday to see the second project from my crafting it forward.  Have you ever participated in a crafting challenge?  And if so, did you have problems getting your winners to respond so they could collect their prizes?

I know Halloween is still a few months away, but I couldn’t resist posting this fun (and cheap) project now.  It was easy & cheap…plus it’s tied to the infamous  “envelope of doom“,  so that makes it even spookier   My Boo’tiful Flour Sack Pillow Cover:

Supplies Needed:

• Fabric for pillow cover, I used a Flour Sack Cloth from my local Dollar Tree.  You will one piece of fabric that is 14 x 14.5 inches.
• Small Pillow or stuffing
• Yarn or Other Trim to make letters
• Sewing Machine with matching thread
• iron & ironing board
• glue (I used hot glue)
• Ruler

Instructions:

1. Gather all your materials and press the fabric to remove all creases.
2. If using the thin flour sack fabric you will need to cut the fabric in half length wise.  If you remember I used the other half of this same piece of flour sack to make this fun fish pin board.
   
3. Using your ruler pull the top edge of the fabric to the back 3.25 inches and stitch down along the bottom edge.
   
4. With the sewn edge facing down, pull the bottom edge of the fabric up and over to the top 6.5 inches and press.
   
5. Using your ruler pull the top portion down 7 inches.  It will overlap the pressed portion from step #4
   
6. Take the folded fabric package to your sewing machine and sew both the left and right sides closed (leaving a 1/4 inch seam)
   
7. Turn the pillow cover inside out and you are ready to use.
8. If you don’t have a small pillow already you could either use a pre-purchased accent pillow form, or fill it up with stuffing

Then to make it boo’tiful:

1. Place a piece of cardboard inside the pillow cover to keep any stray glue from gluing it closed.
2. I wasn’t sure of my freehand skills so using a washable pencil I drew a quick outline of my letters.
3. I took my spooky yarn from the “envelope of doom” and glued it around the letter outlines.
   
4. To make it a bit more sturdy for future washings I added several stitches around the furry dots to hold everything in place.
5. Let dry/cool
6. Remove cardboard, stuff, and enjoy!

Total Cost:  $1.00 and up

I love paper and I love office supplies.  There, I admitted it, so when I found a fun piece of paper in my envelope of doom I figured what better than to turn it into paper office supplies.  If you’ve followed my blog for a while you already know I love both lining envelopes and making my own envelopes, and some of my favorite tools are the templates you can purchase from Paper-Source.  I’ve more than gotten my money’s worth out of the ones I own, so when I was in the store a few weeks back taking a little class and saw the new baby sized envelope template I had to try it out.

This is the template kit I choose, the other option had pink paper selection but looking around here should explain how much I love blue and green so naturally I selected the “pool” color selection.

And this is the paper I found folded up in my envelope of doom!

Using their envelope templates is super-simple.

1. Trace around the template on the reverse side of the paper.
   
2. Cut out along the lines
   
3. Score where the inner opening of the template are (I use a scoring board from Martha & love it)
   
4. Glue the edges
   
5. Put those babies to use, these just happen to be the perfect size for a business card!
   

So basically I used contents from my “Envelope of Doom” to create “Baby Envelopes of Doom”   In keeping with the rules of the game, the items were to be gifted to someone else…and these just so happened to be included in a swap package I was sending out!  I love it when things work out like that!

** I have been in no way compensated for my options or the products referenced above.  These are purely my unsolicited options of crafty products I use and adore! **