Nursery Crafts - blanket and mobile

I like to be crafty, so here is what I've made!  A blanket for our little guy, and a mobile-decoration to hang above our glider/ottoman (not the crib!).

 

I was looking for a blanket for a long time, and never found one I liked.  So, we went to JoAnns (where some lady thought Adam and I were 18 and pregnant and gave us lots of dirty looks), and got some fleece.  Easy peasy knotted blanket for our Little Bear. 

 

Here is the blanket with our little smurflet (love!) 

 

 

One side was the Bear

 

The other side is navy blue

 

 

I also crafted a mobile for above our glider/ottoman for rocking time.  I thought it would be a nice thing to look at during rocking or feedings.  I need to add the white trim around the wooden rings still, but it's almost finished. 

 

 



Bridal Shower Gift

I was looking for a unique bridal shower gift, and found some ideas online.  I was able to replicate them for myself, and give them away as a gorgeous gift for a good friend.  I used a newsprint idea for one gift, and then the second was the personalized sharpie on a piece of ceramic-ware.

 

Here is the ceramic piece - I wrote with sharpie, and then cooked the piece in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, and then left it in the oven while it cooled down.  Seems pretty permanent to me!

 

I decided to use a plate with a pretty print already on it - the oven baking did not hurt the blue butterflies at all!

 

 

Paint your own Pottery!

My neighbor and I went to paint pottery at a nearby studio. I chose white/gray as my base, and then free-handed the swirls of black/pink.

 

Check it out!  Will post pics after it is fired!

 

 

 

Christmas Wine Corks

Now that everyone has received their Christmas gifts, I can tell you about some of them!  I made some very cute wine corks using Christmas ornaments and plain wine cork stoppers.  They turned out very cute!

Gather your supplies - pliers, liquid nails, an ornament, and a wine cork stopper.

First step - remove the hanger for the ornament.

 Step #2.  Add liquid nails to the cork

 Step 3.  Add ornament to cork and leave to dry.

Step 4:  Wait til they dry

Wrap them up for a cute, handmade gift!



A Christmas Wreath

My neighbor and I made some Christmas wreaths to go in front of the subdivision for Christmas.  All you need is some greenery, some ornaments, and some glittery fun!  Plus glue guns.

First we laid out what we wanted, then hot glued it on. 

Painted vases

I made some vases to go with my decor as an accent color.  I had some candles I liked, and wanted to match the color with these.  So, I mixed up some paint and got to work. 

Then, I swirled it around the vase to cover everywhere

Finally, added the finished product to our built-in bookcases.



Cute Wreath

I needed some door decor, so I went to Michael's and got some ideas and some supplies.  I wanted something a little more modern that could also translate into winter/spring.  I wanted something simple and clean.  I love the way it turned out. 

I started by gathering my supplies together.  A grapevine wreath, flowers, ribbon and a W.



Next, I cut the flowers off of their long stems, to the size I needed to attach them to the wreath.

Then, I hot glue guned the flowers to the wreath.

Finally, added the W with hot glue, and tied a green ribbon on to hang.

Tiling a Frameless Mirror

Our master bathroom recently had the countertops installed, and I wanted to make our frameless, builder grade, mirror be a little more personal.  I had done a similar framing of a mirror using wood and glass tile (pictures here), but I wanted to try using only tile. 

I did take some in-between steps, as it takes a while to get everything you want done.  To begin:

No more ugly poop brown in a bathroom.

The counters were done, so painting the walls and then the cabinets ensued.

Now, the tiling of the mirror.  I started with a layout of stone and glass tile that I wanted to use, and laid it out to make sure I had enough.

Next, I began using all purpose liquid nails and glued the tiles to the bottom and sides of the mirror. 

When it came to adhering tile to the top, it was a little more tricky.  You can use tape to hold the tiles in place, but I found it more effective to add glue, put the tile in place, and remove it immediately from the mirror.  Then, I waited ~10 minutes until the glue became a little set on the outermost layer.  Then, I could add the tile to the mirror and it would stay in place! 



Framing Out a Mirror

I was tired of having those huge mirrors with no frame on them in every bathroom, so I began a quest to change that.  In the hall bathroom, I switched out the mirror completely, for an oval mirror (another post on that remodel later).  Upstairs, I redid the spare bathroom with wood and tile, and im the master, I am currently working on a project with tile. 

Today, I'm focusing on the spare bath.  I got my shopping list ready and headed to the improvement store.  I got glass mosaic tile, wood trim, and liquid nails.   To start, I cut the wood to size, and painted it white.  I then laid out the peices along with the tile, so I could size everything before gluing things in place. Along with my friend's dog I was petsitting

Then, I made sure I had enough tile, and glued the tile to the wood frame.  I did not glue the wood together in the rectangle shape, as I wanted to put each piece on the mirror separately to make sure it would fit properly. 

Then, I glued each peice separately to the mirror, and before you know it, I had a nice framed mirror, where before I had just mirror.

I love the new look! Plus it was very easy!

Coaster Gifts

I needed to give a friend a birthday present, but I didn't want it to be something boring, like a gift card or a frame with a photo in it (everyone gives those).  I saw some inspiration here and decided to make my own version.  I created some for two friends who had birthdays around the same time of year.  One I did in color, the other in black and white.  My version is simpler than the tissue paper version, since you have less to do, and the photo still stays put and looks fantastic.

I started with plain tiles from a warehouse store, and printed out photos of my friends on plain white paper.  Then, I cut the photos to size for the tiles, and used Mod Podge to wet the back and over the front of the photo.  Once that dried, I used clear acrylic sealer (several coats) to make the coaster waterproof, and added some felt rounds to the back for a buffer.  Then, voila.  I had a beautiful, homemade gift that was unique and special to the recipient.

My friend loved it, and she couldn't wait to show her boyfriend and parents who came into town for her birthday.  So unique!

DIY Christmas Wreath

I know it isn't anywhere near Christmas, but it's my favorite holiday.  This past season, I got some pinspiration and made a snowflake wreath for the front door.  My wedding was during Christmastime (my wedding cake is below), and so I wanted to have some personal touches from the wedding, since it was snowflake themed.  Turns out, the snowflake thing was appropriate, as my wedding day was on the first blizzard of the season for the east coast, and many of the guests had a difficult time showing up at all, or the ones who made it, getting home afterwards!

I was so inspired by this wreath I wanted to make my own version, using some of my wedding leftovers.  I started by painting the popsicle sticks white, and then adding glitter on certain circles.

After that, I added a personal touch by using some of the ribbon from my wedding to hang the wreath, and then put it on our door.

 I absolutely love it, and my husband says, "I've never seen a wreath that looks like that before".  I think that just means it is unique.