Father's Day // "King for a Day" Duct Tape Crown

Father's Day... It's this Sunday!!!  How did it sneak up like that? This year it happens to coincide with my  kids' last week of school-- I.N.S.A.N.I.T.Y.

I usually have the boys make something special for The Mister, but it's been busy and I hadn't given it much thought... Until about 10 PM last night when I had an A-Ha moment (don't you love those?). I quickly grabbed some scrap paper, duct tape and scissors. And that's how these "King for a Day" Father's Day crowns came about...

I made a couple of extra mini-crowns and decked them out with some Mod Melts, the new embellishment tool from Plaid. The Mod Melts were originally intended for another project but, since I have the "Royal Icons" mold, I kinda had to use them on these crowns.

The kids will decorate this full-size crown for their Daddy. Hopefully they'll be able to agree on a design...

Click "Read more" for the details

[Make] Cork Pencil Holder... with shiny polka dots!

The first project of the New Year!  And of course it has something to do with organization. Just like the next person, I'm trying to start 2013 off on the right foot.  And that means cleaning up the chaos that is my desk. I'll share more about my desk reorg later, but here's one of the projects that I have been working on-- a little pencil holder that I whipped together using supplies that I already have on-hand. Another goal of mine this year... to shop my own craft supplies before heading to the store. I have a craft store addiction, so we'll see how well that goes.  :)

it's called a pencil cup... but where are the pencils? :)

click "Read more" for the tutorial

[Home] JOYeux Mantel

Here's our kid friendly, "not boring", somewhat disco-like mantel in our family room.  It's bright and colorful and I think it'll transition nicely to New Year's Eve.  This all started with the water color star garland that the boys made (mini tutorial coming soon). The bright colors brings a perfect pop of "joy" as the days get shorter and the light in our house becomes more gray.  

Click "Read more" for the details

[Party] Washi Tape Decorations

So I slacked on the planning and Happy Vee's 4th birthday party doesn't have much of a theme... But that doesn't mean we can't make it special!  I decided to pull out my washi tapes and challenge myself to use them for all the party decorations.  Here's what I have so far--

Washi Tape Favor Bags

Washi Tape Mini Banner

Washi Tape Gift Wrap

Click "Read more" for the details

[Make] Shamrock Window Clings

Today I was in full-blown Easter mode when my 5 year old threw me for a loop with this question-- "Way-da-minute mommy...What about St. Patrick's Day?".  Wha?  Oh yeah... Evidently leprechauns have been playing tricks at his school so he's really into it this year.

I've been using washi tape to hang the boys' artwork on our kitchen windows (my favorite place to display their colorful art) and noticed their nice translucent quality.   Then I got to thinking-- pretty colors, removable, easy to cut into fun shapes... And that's how these washi tape shamrock window decals were born.

the hardest part of this project was trying to photograph them against the light...

Architectural Letter Wall Art

"You are feeling very slee"... Zzzzz

i've had this idea on the brain for quite a while (march of last year, to be exact)

i love the idea of the z's representing sleep, but i wanted to be sure that the overall look is industrial and masculine-- i think the simple letter shape, silver color and the thumbtack "rivets" pull it off.

at first i wasn't sure how to bring in the car theme (which is *very* important to smarty pants)... until it hit me-- zoom!

this is an easy and very inexpensive project-- paper mache letters (@joann's for $2-$4 each) covered with decorative silver duct tape and thumbtacks.  i purchased one 12" letter, two 8" letters and i handcut the two smallest letters from a cardboard box.  they are hanging on the wall with command strips... that's it!

there's a fun 3d aspect to the project too.

not too bad for a project that cost less than $15!

As you can probably tell by the awkwardly blank wall space, Smarty Pant's room is still a work in progress...

still need to come up with something for this wall... perhaps a message board (??)

and i'm thinking of putting in a little eclectic wall gallery to the right of his bed... still looking for all the right pieces to fit the industrial/automotive theme.

[for more details on the developing Car-themed room, click here, here , here & here]

Although it seems as though the hot weather has sapped my creative energy, I'm relieved to find that I am capable of actually completing a project this summer.  Yahoo!  Now back to the pool I go to celebrate!!  :) 

Happy Weekend!

linked to:

Up-organize ~ from Paper Towels to...

Pretty Duct Tape

and the not-so-pretty, but very functional, scotch tape

Up-organize = Upcycle + Organization tool
(aka get organized without buying more stuff)

I've had this cheap, cheap, cheap paper towel holder for years.  When we moved a couple of years ago, I "rediscovered" it and decided to transform it into something useful.  Since it's lightweight & flimsy, it made a horrible paper towel holder... but it works really well as a tape organizer.  And it's kinda nice that everything is in one place. For some reason, my scotch tape has a habit of wandering and this contraption keeps it all together-- no more going crazy when I'm doing a last-minute gift wrap!

have you seen all the pretty duct tape that's out there?

fun for crafts (kid's flame frame)...

and also gift wrap

it's also nice having the tape out and ready for use.

if i stored it away in a container, i'd forget to use it!

p.s. click here for more Up-Organizing ideas

Hope you're having a wonderful week!

Up-organize ~ from Baby Bottles to...

Washi Tape!

i liked it as a bottle rack, but it'll get much more use as a washi tape holder!

Up-organize = Upcycle + Organization tool

(aka get organized without buying more stuff)

I think I found the perfect place to store my washi tape.  My old baby bottle rack (a skip hop splash if you're wondering) makes it easy to access the tape, spins around so I can easily see the selection, and there's even a place for scissors.  Plus, it's lightweight and I love the modern design-- double bonus! At first I had my washi tape on an old paper towel holder, but when I wanted to remove one roll of tape, I had to remove all of them... which was kind of a pain!  So the former baby bottle rack has a new & improved job and I even found a better use for the paper towel holder--  I'll be sharing that later!

and the best part?  i still have room for more!!! 
yes, the washi tape obsession lives on.  :)

sharing with:

Lace Tape

Oh no, I think I may need this...

via rockett st george

Do I REALLY need more craft "stuff"?  No... But a little Lace Tape to pretty-up a simple package... or card... or craft... Yes Please! 

It's pretty hard to find in the U.S., but I did locate it here on the designer's website.  I haven't made the plunge yet...