Project share

Pulling this out from the archives since I never did share it on here last year. I made this Beer Advent, an idea I got after months of searching for the perfect gift for my husband's 40th birthday and found a RUM advent but was way over priced. I took myself to the packie (liquor store) that stocked single bottles and asked for help choosing 24 different beers. The guy in the store gave me the weirdest looks and after they understood what I wanted, he dove in and actually seemed to enjoy picking out 24 bottles for me. He also gave me a box for that fit all 24 bottles and carried the whole thing to the car for me. Once home, I covered the top of the box with brown paper, added some washi tape and made numbered bottle caps...simple process of circles, scalloped circles that I folded up and glued them on.

Inspired, I used Echo Park's Dad paper pack and made a mini album to go with the advent. The idea was that we would take a picture of each bottle and hubby could critique the beer of the day.

 

 A year later, I am still waiting for him to hand over the pictures. He took them and made notes but...you know! Most importantly, he loved the gift, took the photos AND took notes, right? This year, I didn't get as creative but did manage to get tickets to a play of one of his favorite movies, The Little Shop of Horrors!

Adult Stickers

A fellow school mom posted this on Facebook one day and said she "needed" them but didn't know where to get them. I had some free time...hah who has free time?...and really wanted to give it a shot. 

A few minutes googling images, some quick photoshop work and I had them printed out. After that it was just a matter of punching me out with a circle punch and running it through my handy dandy sticker maker. She loved it and I was so psyched to have made someone's day or hour or whatever. 

Share A project or two

I've been playing with heat transfer vinyl (HTV) and made these two projects in the last few weeks. The blanket is for D's hockey team manager...the most awesome hockey mom and best team manager ever! I put together the design and ironed the HTV directly onto a sweatshirt material blanket. Going to have to make a few more for myself ;)

The other project was a sweater gift for a friend's birthday. I found the sweater at Kohl's and the saying on pinterest. I looked up a lotus flower clipart, designed it on the silhouette software and ironed it on. Quick and easy gift. Bonus...she loves it!!!

Nailed It Wednesday

Looking for a dessert that was easy to make and also easy to transport, I came across this S'mores Brownie Bar recipe by Deliciously Sprinkled on Pinterest. It was super easy to make and everyone at the softball game loved it. So much so I don't have a picture of it. I'm sure I'll be making it again, and again.

photo by Deliciously Sprinkled

Bella Blvd's Rover Collection

Another layout share instead of a Nailed It post. My Riley and Rover collections came in and I just had to play with the Rover line. The industry seems to go through phases of what theme comes out and right now it's all about pets. It seems every manufacturer has a pet line out right now and Time2Scrap has quite a few of them in stock. I had taken these pictures of Diego's head tilts and just had to scrap them. Isn't he adorable?

Moxxie's All Star Baseball paper line

I don't think I would specifically call this a Nailed It blog post but since there is a lack of "Nailed It" projects in my craft space, I thought I'd share how I used this paper line for my own scrapbooks. I do have these papers in stock...no stickers, just the papers with matched cardstock.

I had pictures from a Fenway Tour we took with my parents when they visited back in 2011. If you don't know this yet, I scrap chronologically for each of my boys. When I scrap an event that involves the both of them, I scrap both layouts at the same time. Basically making two of the same layouts and using similar pictures...pictures that highlight them. Here are my two layouts...one for each kid.

The stars are cut using a thin die I had on hand, adhered to the pages and painted over with clear Wink of Stella to give them a little shine. I added some Red Sox paper and embellishments, picked up at my local Joann's. If you were scrapping a different team, you could use other baseball embellishments as well as some washi tape. Quick and easy!

Nailed It: Store special easel

I stumbled across this tabletop easel at a local crafting store and thought it would be a great addition to my store. One side is chalkboard and the other, dry erase. Instead of re-writing the same info over and over, I cut out my store name and the title "Weekend Special" from vinyl using my new Cricut Explore Air.

The transfer was easy peasy using masking tape instead of transfer tape, didn't have any handy. And here is the result...cute, right?

I know it should read "specialS" but the last letter didn't fit. It's going to bug me so I'll probably have to take the letters off and try again.

Nailed It: Baby Blanket

It took me months and a little help from a friend to finish this baby blanket. I worked on it during our drive back and forth to Florida, watching TV, watching movies at the movie theater and the last bit of it at Cool Crops Portsmouth.

No pattern, just 4 colors...knitted the blue, green and teal into as many rows as I could with a ball, 4 rows of white in-between the colors. There are a few errors in the blanket but not noticeable. As long as the blanket works, right?

I shipped it off to my nephew in Australia and it's been put to good use.

Nailed It: Bright Pom knit hat

Going a little further back for a Nailed It post. Darin had chosen a skein of this really cool Plymouth yarn way back on our first trip to a yarn store. He finger knitted with it and then didn't love it. So I took it apart and the yarn sat for a while. On my last trip to the same store, I saw the yarn there and bought another skein. I decided to knit myself a hat with it and this is the result. There was quite a pile left after I finished the hat so I decided to make a pom pom with it.

I love how bright it is. Also that it is very warm. Only problem is, I knitted it a little big for my head and am afraid to try to shrink or felt it to make it fit. I'm told it's not hard and I can't go wrong...yet I wear it big. As long as I don't bend it over, it stays on my head and keeps me visible when I'm out at my crossing guard job. ps. please don't mind the really dirty mirror

Nailed It: Jori's ETA project

Good Morning! Today I'm pulling a project from Nov/Dec that Jori worked on. A little background first...Jori is a Freshman studying in the Engineering & Technology Academy within our high school. One of his projects in the fall was to develop a parcel of land in the Blackstone Valley. They incorporated their core classes into ONE project - History: the history of Blackstone Valley, English: writing proposals for their land parcels, Math: the math required to design and make a scale model, Biology: green technology and Engineering: schematics, design, etc. The scale model is what I would like to tell you about this morning.

He was assigned a parcel that was designated recreational and you could team up with kids with land next to you have bigger developments. So he teamed up with a friend who had the park area and he built a basketball complex. Finding items to scale was the hardest part so we had to get creative and that's where mom and her scrap supplies came in handy. Here is a pic of the work in progress...the fencing is black burlap ribbon, telephone poles are cut black wire, hoops are Jolee stickers. The courts are Bazzill paper and the grass is standard diorama grass sheets.
We also bought air dry clay and mom lent a hand in making benches, lamps and for his friend's project, art installations at his "Peace Park". I used Queen & Co.'s bling for the lamps. 

The boys spent TWO days holed up in my scrap cave working on their park before delivering it to school to prepare for their open house. I didn't quite know what to expect but walking...WOW...they had laid out all the land parcels around the canal on the cafeteria floor. It was amazing!!!

It took a bit to find the boys' parcels but here they are...came out great. I helped with the clay and then left them on their own except to explain how certain glues and tools worked.

Students also had tri-fold boards that displayed their research and design work. They encouraged the parents and family members to talk to the students and have them explain their work. Doesn't he look all grown up?

I have to say, the kid Nailed It!

Nailed It: A Year of Dates

Remember this post? I finally put the album together while I was at the Point Sebago crop. The benefit of having crop space at an event. I shopped my own store and used an October Afternoon SNAP album that I had in stock...especially since I had the refill pages too.

Washi tape, papers pulled from different lines/scraps and words (months) I had pre-cut on my Cricut Explore before the weekend. I wasn't sure about the wifi at the campground and didn't have space for it in my car.

I left one 3x4 pocket open for each month and wrote our date details on a Project Life 3x4 journaling card. I then sealed it in the envelope with tickets, gift cards, etc that I had bought in advance. One envelope per month and 1-2 pocket pages per month depending on the activity. Obviously if it's dinner and a movie there will be less pics than, say, going on a hike.

Here you can see the envelope has been opened and I've slipped the journaling card into it's spot. For our anniversary month, we will visit the Worcester Art Museum to check out their Samurai exhibit and then head out for a sushi dinner. The "WTFS" is a coincidence...the paper was a calendar type page and it was for days of the week ;)

The gist of my "Year of Dates" album is to go out at once a month sans kids. We will open the envelopes on the 2nd (our anniversary date), pull out a calendar and pick a day to go. A few date ideas I included are hiking, bowling, paint nite and even a couples spa day.

Nailed It

More iron-on vinyl projects to share with you. This was done with my old cricut and the SCAL software. Now that I have had a chance to play with my new cricut explore air, I'm finding things about it that I wish I had known before I bought it. I have to say I love how well it cuts and all the fun features...just wishing the software could do more and that I didn't have to be online.

I made team shirts for the boys for their annual New Year's basketball game at my in-laws. They're the "young ones" and "the old ones or old farts". I used glow in the dark iron-on vinyl and it definitely came in handy for the 1am New Year's Day game.

I used a dingbat font for the basketball players and then welded some letters together. All in all it took me about 3 hours from start to finish for 8 shirts.

Nailed It

 

I have a brand new nephew and have been wanting to give this idea a whirl for the longest time. It was the easiest handmade gift I've made so far. The hardest part was buying the onesies. Why do they come in 5 packs? And why doesn't the store have all the sizes in stock?

Looks great on him doesn't it? And I didn't stop there, I made an extra set for a friend's baby. On the docket is another set but I'm going to have to wait to hear if it's a nephew or a niece :)

Nailed It!

I needed some quick and super easy gifts for a few friends. Sam's Club had the EOS lip balm packs and I remembered seeing this cute packaging idea. Bought the balm, printed the .pdf (Thanks Simple as That)  and tied them up...Done in 10 minutes!

Didn't Even Make It

I tried to get into this project. I really wanted to make a 30 Minute Ornament Wreath for under $20.

It took a couple of trips to the stores to find shatterproof ornaments...finally found them at Big Lots.

I forgot to buy the wreath form...and finally made it out to the store today to buy one.

An hour ago, I pulled everything out and CANNOT find my hot glue gun. Ugh! It has been a while since I've needed it and I did re-do my craft room. Question of the day: If you were a hot glue gun, where would you be hiding?

So I am going to lay this project to rest and not even go there. It is no longer a 30 minute project nor is it under $20. And I have no clue where the hot glue gun is hiding. 

 I'm thinking I should have just bought an ornament wreath while I was at Target today. I came home and @Targetdoesitagain rubbed it in on Instagram with this...

I am not heading back out to the store *insert foot stomp*...except maybe I should return those ornaments and the wreath form. 

OR maybe the next time I hit the craft store, I should buy another glue gun and get a head start on Christmas 2015!!! Hah! How is your Christmas crafting coming along?

Nailed It: Hah!

IThis week's Nailed It definition would be that I managed to cook, do laundry, work, work and work some more. I also managed to keep the cats and puppy fed, watered, and exercised (does puppy chasing cats count?). It's been crazy busy...I know I keep saying that...but it is what life is right now and I don't see it slowing down. Some weeks are a little less crazy and I manage to fit in some fun things and/or experiment with a new recipe. These past few weeks haven't and I have nothing for today. I have some projects in the works and recipes in queue, but nothing completed. C'est La Vie!

And since a post isn't a post without a pic, here's one of what's happening daily around here :(

Nailed It: Pumpkin Nutella bread

There has been too many mornings of me wandering around in my kitchen looking for something quick and yummy for breakfast. Yesterday, I broke down and made the Nutella Swirled Pumpkin Bread that has been on my to-do list for a while. It was super easy and fast (or would have been if I wasn't also wrangling a certain puppy every 15 secs). The recipe was spot on and the bread absolutely delicious. I was afraid I was adding too much Nutella and held back...now I wish I had just followed the recipe to the T. It was still good but definitely 2 tbsp of Nutella per loaf.

Nailed It: Halloween costumes

Halloween themed crop at Cool Crops Portland meant I had to come up with a costume. Vendors don't generally have to get involved with the themes but it's always nice to participate. I talked my vendor friend, Jen to team up and we loved the "oh deer" and "holy cow" idea.

My original plan for my shirt was to wear a black long sleeved shirt under and cut holes in a white shirt to go over. Another friend of mine convinced me that I had to do it right and since I had black heat transfer vinyl handy, I used that instead...staying up until 2am the night before heading to the crop to make my cow shirt. I think we did ok even though you can't see my halo. There were some funny guesses on our costumes - angel cow, fairy cow and even oh s%@t!

Pinterest Fave Five

On the last Friday of the month, I post five of my favorite pins. I then attempt them during the following weeks and share with you my "Nailed It" moments.

These Chalkboard labels are adorable and super easy to make. I am going to give it a whirl and maybe make some cards with it.

With a new puppy in the house, it's inevitable there's going to be a DIY puppy project. We are going to try to make a DIY Dog Rope Toy. At the rate Diego is destroying his toys, something recycled from old shirts and basically free will be a breath of fresh air.

I have canned organic pumpkin and nutella in the cupboards so this recipe, Nutella Swirled Pumpkin Bread, is a no-brainer. Looking forward to making and eating it.

Halloween is next week, by default, one of my fave pins will have to be a DIY costume. Jen and I are dressing up for Cool Crops Portland (check us out Saturday night) and we have decided on these for our Halloween costume. Not telling who's what but it will be fun!

And last but not least, this shirt caught my eye and it had to come on as my last fave pin.

Nailed It! DIY puppy shampoo

I think you can tell by now that we have a new puppy and I'm over the moon with him. Unfortunately, the shampoo we were using on him was stripping his skin and he was flaky and has a few scabs here and there. How did I know it was the shampoo? Well my hands were super dry after bathing him. No, we didn't take him to the vet, he has an appointment for Monday so we're going to wait until then. He is not itchy and not losing any hair/fur. Basically he is fine just flaky (and a little scabby) so I looked up DIY dog shampoo on pinterest (good ole pinterest) and found that the main ingredients used were baby shampoo, apple cider vinegar and water. One of the pins I found talked about dry skin plus a recipe for the DIY moisturizing shampoo she used on her black labs that included coconut oil.

I didn't think it would hurt to try so I gave it a shot. I modified the recipe a little since I didn't have rosemary or lavender essential oil on hand. Also, I made a smaller batch since we were just trying it out.

My DIY puppy shampoo recipe
1 cup water (boiled with sprig of lavender)
2 tbsp baby shampoo
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (apparently it helps with odor control)
1/2 tsp coconut oil

It's only been a few days and I can't say it's getting better but it's not getting worse. His coat is shiny and beautiful...check my boy out.