Make // Egg Carton Flower Frame

A couple of weeks ago I transformed some egg cartons into roses. Sound strange? They actually turned out pretty cool-- Go check it out here.

After tossing around a few ideas, I decided to display them on a framed mirror that I picked up a few years ago. I wasn't enamored with the frame's original color (black) or odd shape, but I knew it had potential.

The mirror can easily be removed, which makes this project extra versatile. Here are a few ideas that come to mind… 1) hang as a decorative mirror;  2) or a wreath; 3) or perhaps a flowered tray.

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This Week // 3.28.2014

My newest accessory. I'm either seriously cool… or dating myself by a few decades-- 25 years to be exact. Gah!

Do you use dry shampoo? I finally found one that doesn't make me look like I'm powdering my hair à la Marie Antoinette. This one smells good and doesn't leave a white residue. Especially key if you have dark hair and don't care for the dandruff-look.

If you have a blog or are thinking of starting a blog, here's a round-up of what you should be doing to do it right. Gosh, I'm not doing any of that stuff… Which may explain a few things. ;b

I decided last night that I need to finish decorating the master bedroom. To know me is to… know that I procrastinate. This is an on-going project, five years running. By the time I finish, half the room will be outdated. Anyhow, for some reason, I'm obsessed with having mirrors behind the nightstands. Like this one. Or this one. With maybe something like this? Or more likely, like this?

Another great idea about what to do with your instagr.am photos. I'm going to turn mine into a dress. Okay maybe a skirt. I kid… but I may be onto something.

Have a nice weekend!

Upcycle // Egg Carton Succulent

Like many before me, I love succulents. They are pretty, unique and, if you forget to water them… no big deal!

It's usually the silvery, flower-like echeveria imbricata (aka hens and chicks) that most people get     excited about… especially brides and bloggers. We have these guys and their cousin, agaves, planted throughout our backyard and they do really well in our mild, drought-like, Mediterranean climate.

HOWEVER, they like to be outdoors and once you bring them inside they turn into a spindly, sad looking mess. I've tried putting them in our sunny west-facing window with the rest of my succulents and they just don't do well. They won't die overnight, but eventually… It.Will.Happen.

Since I have an abundance of egg cartons and, with Earth Day coming up in April, I thought I'd try my hand at making a flower-like succulent out of a plain ol' egg carton. It's not easy copying Mother Nature, but I figure a handmade version is better than killing off another one of her offspring. ;)

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This Week // 3.20.2014

Happy Spring! Have you noticed the change of season in the last week or so? Or is ol' man winter still holding strong? We've had an unusually mild winter and the confused plants started blooming in January, however, I always know that it is Spring when the song birds migrate back to our area. It's always nice to be gradually woken up each morning by their cheerful chatter. We also have a ton of baby bunnies that seem to have cropped-up overnight. They are everywhere! And they are destroying our front yard… but they look darn cute while doing it. Yes, Spring is finally here. I hope that those of you who have experienced a long, hard winter will see and feel the effects soon.

So with the bunnies, flowers and birds abound, here are a few faves from this week--

Want to do something crafty this weekend? Change up a decorative mirror or frame with a little sheet moss. Something easy, different and temporary. If I ever get around to it, I may incorporate this into a Spring mantel.

tip: If you need to glue down your sheet moss to make it sturdy, glue it to heavy cardstock. That way it can be easily removed when the moss-love goes away and you want your old frame or mirror back.

If you're like me and like to keep your oh-so-sexy toe cleavage under wraps, check out these flattering flats.  I bought them in black ikat but maybe I should've gone bold with hot pink and orange?

Camera shy? I love these tips for getting in the shot. Especially helpful if you're the primary photographer of the family.

I need to go here to get these for my craft room.

I smelled this in Thai Lily and had to have it. I need my whole world to smell this good so I'm buying this next. The sales person was raving about the hand cream in coconut milk mango too… And that's what happens when I go to the store to return stuff. Sucked back in!

If craft stores looked like anthropologie… I would be in BIG trouble. BIG! But since they mostly look like a hot mess-- akin to Wal-mart the day after Christmas, my bank account is safe. Phew!  :)

Have a groovy weekend!

Upcycle // Papier Mache Roses from an Egg Carton

I'm craving flowers. Which can only mean one thing… Spring is almost here. Next week, March 20th!! With the kids' schedules and my own responsibilities, I haven't had much down time lately. I'm definitely someone who needs some quiet time in order to function properly and it just hasn't been happening lately. So, after several weeks of feeling uninspired and burnt-out, when a little free time presented itself, I knew it was time to remedy the situation. For me, the remedy usually means "creative therapy" --  Forget all the other stuff for a bit and create something.

On Monday morning at 8:00 sharp, right as the kids were being carted off to school by my hubby, I pulled out some supplies and got to work. I didn't feel like waiting for the stores to open, so I dug into a bag of recyclables that I've been saving for a future project. Since Earth Day is next month, what better time to start an upcycle project.

At first,  I didn't have a clear plan, but I did know that I wanted a hands-on project that is easy to make, uses recyclable materials, and breathes a little Spring into our home. I think these egg carton roses hit all the marks.

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

This Week // 3.9.2014

Happy Day Light Savings Time! Otherwise known as… WHY do we do this to ourselves every year? Especially since the energy saved is a wash and I believe the farmers get up whenever they need to, not when the clock tells them too. Rhetorical question kids… I just get a little spiky when my favorite activity (sleep) is cut short. :)

So here's what's been going on this week...

80th Birthday--

Yesterday we celebrated my dad's 80th birthday. Wow… 80 is a big one. We gathered our extended family and enjoyed his favorite foods-- sushi and desserts. These are the party favors that I found at Michaels… on sale! Easy, economical and pretty darn cute. I only wish I were a hand-lettering chalk artist. My junior high "lettering" skills had to do.

Missing Photos--

I spent the better part of the week correcting a problem with the photo links to my projects. It was actually a problem with one of my service providers but, after initially stressing out, I found a work-around. It's a slow process but one neat thing I discovered is that in the last 12 months I posted over 75 project ideas. That's a lot! I had no idea… Anyhow, if you see any missing photos, just know that I'm slowly but surely getting around to fixing it.

Rain!--

Rain. It was a big deal here, but would be a mere blip anywhere else. But perhaps you may have heard that… Southern California got rain!!! For three solid days!!! And we survived!!! It was wonderful. There was minimal damage from what I've read, but we still need more if we're going to be out of this water/drought crisis. The last few days it's been 80-degrees… I don't think rain will be blessing us again in the near future.  :(

School Book Fair--

Last week I helped set-up and work our school's book fair. What a good workout because… boxes of books are heavy! It was great to see the kids so excited about reading. Both of my boys are now into chapter books and, since we just finished the Flat Stanley series, I went ahead and bought the Flat Stanley Worldwide Adventures, The A to Z Mysteries series as well as the rest of the Captain Underpants series (My hubby was cackling away with the boys for the first part of the series so I think I'll have him read the 2nd half as well).

A Pirate and an Oriole (aka Oreo)--

Yesterday was filled with overlapping, two different places at one time, baseball games. It was a divide and conquer kind of day. Today it's more of the same… I will be at the baseball fields for approximately 6 hours today. Fun and games, people, fun and games.

Make // St. Patrick's Day Conversation Bottles

Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day? While we're 100% not-Irish, we're still a family that loves corned beef & cabbage, leprechaun & rainbows, and pretty much anything green & gold.

Here's a festive way to serve up beverages for St. Paddy's. The bottles can hold a special tonic or, in our case, chilled water. And if flat water is not your thing, just remove the labels on some new Pellegrino or sparkling cider bottles and start decorating. Or, if you want smaller bottles, there always green beer bottles as well. Any way you serve it up, these conversation bottles will add a bit of flair to your tabletop on March 17th.

Click "Read more" for the Free Printable & Tutorial

This Week // 2.22.14

The last few weeks have been a flurry of games (baseball and basketball), parties (team and birthday), school events and moving. Yes moving, but probably not what you're thinking. I haven't had much time to really reflect upon anything, but I thought I'd share some photos.

My 5 year old's first baseball practice. In that gear, he looks exactly like my 7 year old. Now I get why everyone confuses them… although c'mon, they don't really look THAT much alike. Okay fine. Maybe they do...

Our school's bowling night. I set up the dessert table. Right up my alley… Ha!

My youngest's Kindergarten play. He recited a passage from The Little Engine That Could and segued into a dance routine. This kid loves to dance!

The boys' last basketball games. They both improved and got a lot of cardio. Always a plus in my book.

Tonight is my oldest's team party for his travel ball team. He's been playing ball continuously since September and is now rolling into Spring ball… which in California really begins in the Winter. Ah, hello? Mama needs a break! Anyhow, I had fun helping put together the party. I applied some of the same techniques used for the bowling party. When it works, you stick with it!

This week we did a turn-around trip to San Diego to clear out the condo that we've had for the past seven years. It wasn't our full-time home, but we had a lot of wonderful memories there. In fact, it's where my now almost 8 year old first learned how to crawl and where the boys spent countless hours playing hoops (in the hallway) and playing impromptu nerf football games. It's been harder and harder to get down there, so we decided to rent it out fully furnished… dishes and all. I know it won't be quite the same if we ever decide to use it again, so I took a bunch of photos… If anything to capture the "before". Hope the renters treat it well!

When we cleared out the condo, it was 75% toys! The back of my car was stuffed to the max with baby toys (Little People and tons of hot wheels) and even infant seats and ride-on toys. Now all of that "junk" is sitting in my living room. Boo! So you know what I'll be doing next week...

Have a good rest of the weekend!

Make // DIY Handwriting Chart… For Under $20!

Last year I bought an awesome penmanship print when my then first grader was learning to write in cursive. I thought it'd be a good tool for him and it doesn't hurt that it's on-trend too. And the amazing thing? It only put me out $4! But it gets better….

So I never got around to hanging it up.  At first I was going to frame it, but that just seemed too formal and was more than I wanted to spend. Then I saw several diy botanical charts that were hung in a clean and simple fashion and I was smitten.

So what IS the best part about this project? It cost me less than $20. Total. Actually, it really just cost me $7 since I already had the stain, miter and twine from previous projects. And it took me just a few minutes to assemble. Seriously, for DIY, it doesn't get much better than that!

Here's the cost breakdown...
artwork - $4
wood - $3
stain - $2
craft miter box - $7 (with 50% off coupon)
twine - $3

Click "Read more" for all the details!

Make // Marbleized Glass Hearts

I saw this technique used for fingernails a few years ago and tucked the idea away for a future project. I'm not one for painting my nails, so I found this to be the perfect way to use some of the nail polish that I have stockpiled in my vanity. Why do I have so much polish when I hardly ever paint my nails? Who knows?! I guess I'm attracted to all those pretty colors, but when it comes down to it, only my toe nails get gussied up…. And that's only during sandal-wearing season.

Anyhow… This project is easy. It's messy. There are fumes involved. That about sums it up. Luckily, if you have nail polish remover on-hand and you work in a well-ventilated area, it's not too bad. I think the end results are pretty eye-catching!

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

Make // Turn Kid's Art into a Card

Have you ever wanted to create a card using your child's artwork? Or perhaps your own? Here's how!

Before I get too far into it, you'll need a scanner (or camera phone, camera with wifi, etc.) and Photoshop or other photo editing software for this project-- I have Photoshop Elements 9.

This project came about when my 5 year old spent some time coloring a picture and wanted to share it with a bunch of people-- grandma, nana, friend, teacher, etc. I tried to persuade him to color more pictures, but he was determined that THIS was his "masterpiece" and nothing could convince him otherwise.

So, with a little help from our scanner/printer and Photoshop, we were able to give all of the peeps on his list a custom, Made by L card. You can add a background or not. Since it's almost VDay, we added a heart background and turned it into a Valentine's Day Card. I also did a couple with a chalkboard background and font.

Click "Read more" for the tutorial

Wear It // Valentine's Day and Beyond

How do you do Valentine's Day? Do you dress up for the day? Do you plan an elaborate night out-- with either your girlfriends or significant other? Or do you get in your comfy clothes and call it a night?

I've done a combination of things over the years. I've done the wearing all-black and going out with my girlfriends when I was single. That was actually a lot of fun! We've done the prix fixe meal thing where a trendy restaurant tries to squeeze in as many couples into a space as possible. So really, your date has turned into a group meal with strangers. We don't do that anymore. And lately, we just skip the day altogether and go out to a nice dinner, sans kids on a less crazy, less busy night. Man, we're practical! 

I'm not sure what we're doing for V-Day just yet, but I'm betting that I'll be dressed something like comfy-girl.

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From the Archives // Handmade Valentine Projects

Itchin' for a Valentine's Day DIY Project? Here are a few that I pulled from the archives. Some can go beyond V-Day… I have that Instagram Heart hanging up in my house year-round. There's a little something for everyone-- from decorating the mantel, to making a crafty wreath, to designing a fashionable heart top. Happy creating!

Click "Read more" for the Tutorial Links