Posts Tagged by craft
Mason Jar Candles
| May 24, 2013 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, Decorating, Desserts, Parties, Tutorials |
I have a fun, quick idea for you for this Memorial Day weekend. If you are doing a BBQ or picnic, here is a simple, yet elegant way to decorate your tables!
It is with Red, White and Blue Mason Jar Candles!
I don’t know if you have seen these out there in blog land, but I thought it would be fun to show you how easy they are!
First you will want to put about 2 inches of red beans in the bottom of your jar. I also used rice for the white candle and black beans for the blue candle. You could use just about anything that is not flammable. So use your imagination! I can think of some fun pastas, bright colored candies, or river rocks would be cute too. Tie a ribbon at the top of the jar. This is optional of course, but you do know that ribbon makes everything cuter, right? I used two different ribbons and baker’s twine for the tops of my jars.
Then add a tea light down into the beans. Push it down in and then shake the bottle to level out the bottom.
What do you think? Does this look Patriotic or what?
Here is a top view!
Now add some ice cream sandwiches that have the sides dipped in red, white and blue sprinkles and you the the makings for a fun party!
But the real beauty comes out after the sun goes down! Aren’t these just gorgeous! I love the ambiance that they give! You can now sit outside and enjoy a beautiful summer’s evening!
What are your plans for this weekend? I hope that you will get to spend it with someone you love! I am going to take the weekend off from blogging to spend time with my family, so I’ll see you next week!
Happy Memorial Day Everyone! Love Ya!
Please keep in touch…like on facebook or visit me on pinterest!
Pin ItPin Cushions–That Sharpens
| May 7, 2013 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, Gift ideas, Sewing, Tutorials |
Have you ever made these fun pin cushions on a mason jar before? Well here is a new twist on an oldie:
These pin cushions will sharpen your pins as you use them! The secret? Steel Wool!
Does anyone want to make some of these darling little babies? They would be a perfect little addition to any Mother’s Day gift or they are a great little thank you, thinking of you, or just because gift. They would also be great for visiting teaching!
So let’s get started:
You will need to cut out one 6 inch circle for each pin cushion. This is on the regular size mason jar lid. I just traced around this big lid that I had on my ribbon jar and then cut it out 1/2 inch larger all the way around because I was too lazy to go find a plate or a bowl the right size! :)
With a needle and thread sew a running stitch all the way around. Leave needle threaded, do not tie off!
I got this steel wool at Wal-Mart in the painting department, by the sand paper!
Pull out a small tuft of steel wool and form into a ball.
Stuff into the gathered circle. (You can see the needle is still attached)
I also added a little bit of stuffing to the circle.
Add the jar lid to the top of the stuffing…
Pull your thread tight to gather all of the stuffing and steel wool inside, you will want to eliminate as much bulk as you can on the sides then tie a knot with the needle and cut the thread.
Another thing that you can use for your pin cushion is crushed walnut shells! This can be found at most quilt shops. The walnut shells work really nice, but I am not sure if they sharpen your pins like the steel wool will.
Next you will want to take the jar ring and trace the inside circle on a piece of felt. Cut it out.
Hot glue the felt to cover your stitching. You need to make this the least bulky you can because you will need to stuff all of this into the ring and be able to screw it onto the jar!
I just filled the jars with chocolate because who doesn’t need chocolate when they are sewing? Of course you could put sewing supplies in the jars if you wanted to. These are the half pint jars, but you could use regular pint size. If you want to make these on a wide mouth lid you will have to cut your circle larger.
So do you know anyone that would love a pin cushion that sharpens? I can think of many ways that I could use this fun little gift! You could tie a ribbon around the jar and attach a little gift tag.
Have a great day everyone! Love Ya!
Please keep in touch…like on facebook or visit me on pinterest!
Pin ItWedding Subway Art Picture
| April 16, 2013 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, For the Home, Gift ideas, Printables |
Love is in the Air!
Last week I promised you a gift idea that you can use for all those spring weddings that are coming up!
This is a fun subway art picture. I buy a nice frame to put this in and add a note that they can change out the picture later for one of their wedding pictures when they get them back! Although a lot of the recipients like the subway art and say that they are not going to change it out! :)
Make-up Bag and Brush Holder
| April 5, 2013 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, Fashion, Gift ideas, Patterns, Sewing, Tutorials |
One of the stops that we made on our recent trip was at the Mac Cosmetic Store in Las Vegas! I love going to this store because we only have Mac Counters in Utah, so when I get close to a store I try to make a visit! :)
I love their products and the quality, but they are a little pricey so I feel like I have to be careful when using them and take good care of my products. So when I got home I decided that a new make-up bag and brush holder were in order!
April Calendar Ideas
| April 2, 2013 | Posted by Rita under Calendar, Crafts, For the Home, Printables |
Easter Tulips
| March 15, 2013 | Posted by Rita under Candy, Crafts, Easter, Flowers and Garden |
Comments off
|
Easy to Sew Zippered Pouches!
| March 12, 2013 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, Gift ideas, Organization, Patterns, Sewing, Tutorials |
Yesterday we had another one of our sewing classes for Relief Society in my church. I taught them how to put in a zipper and we made these fun zippered pouches!
These are so fun to make and they are a great project to learn how to put a zipper in! This is a beginning sewing class so all of the projects are simple to make. There are a lot of pictures in this tutorial, but do not let that discourage you. These are literally a 15-20 minute project once you have made one and know how to do them! (more…)
Pin ItFun Easter Bouquet
| March 5, 2013 | Posted by Rita under Candy, Crafts, Flowers and Garden, Food Craft, Gift ideas, Tutorials |
Today I have a fun little Easter Bouquet for you to make.
This is not only delicious to look at, but delicious to eat!
This is what I made to give to my Visiting Teaching ladies and who doesn’t love to receive a beautiful spring bouquet? (more…)
Pin ItWashi Cupcake Stands
| February 11, 2013 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, Cupcakes, Decorating, Desserts, Parties, Recipes, Tutorials |
I have been cleaning, organizing and throwing out a bunch of stuff all last week. It feels so good. I cleaned out my office/craft room and a big closet, cupboards and drawers. Then I started in the kitchen and now I need to keep going and get my kitchen all done. That is my next goal. I love it when I get the cleaning bug and can get a lot done because I really don’t get it very often, so I had better go for it while I can! When you clean everything out, you can see what you have (or rather how much you have!) and so when I organized all of my washi tape I decided that I needed to do a project with some of it!
So here is fun little idea using your washi tape that would be perfect for a little tea party, a shower, a birthday, or even for weddings!
Individual Washi Cupcake Stands!
February Calendar Ideas
| February 4, 2013 | Posted by Rita under Calendar, Crafts, For the Home, Printables, Sewing, Tutorials |
Guest Post
| January 28, 2013 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, For the Home, Guest Post |
Hey everyone, I have a guest post today over at the Wood Connection.
It is this fun Monogram board and key holder!
Be sure to stop over there and take a look at how to make one for yourself!
Have a great Monday Everyone! Love Ya!
Best Ever Valentines Countdown!
| January 25, 2013 | Posted by Rita under Candy, Crafts, Gift ideas, Printables, Tutorials, Valentines |
Do you want to know why this is the best ever Valentines Countdown?
1-it is super cute!
2-it is easy to put together!
3-you can throw it away when you are done, no storing for next year!
4-you probably have most of the supplies already!
5-your kids will LOVE it!
6-you will be known as the best mom/grandma/aunt ever!
Is that enough reasons or do you need one more…all of the work has been done for you and all you have to do is print, cut, gather supplies and put it together, how easy is that? (more…)
Pin ItCute “Be Mine” Banner
| January 16, 2013 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, Decorating, Printables, Valentines |
Today I have another Valentines Project that I have been working on.
This fun “Be Mine” Banner:
It is about 3 feet long, so it was hard to get a great picture of the whole thing together! But it is cute because it is that long! It looks great and makes a statement all on its own, but you could add some fun heart decorations to go with it too! I think that I am going to find some kind of lights and a garland to go with mine for my mantle, but I wanted to get this post out to you so you could make one if you want to! (So you get the plain version!)
Grocery Store Flowers
| January 8, 2013 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, Flowers and Garden, For the Home, Gift ideas |
Handmade Smash Journal
| December 26, 2012 | Posted by Rita under Books, Crafts, Gift ideas, Organization, Scrapbooking |
I hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas and that you are still enjoying time with your loved ones! We had a great Christmas Eve gathering with all of our family and it was so fun to have all of my family together! We had dinner and a fun night of sharing our White Envelope Stories (we changed this up just a bit this year and had the kids all tell us what they did). We then we opened presents with all of the adult men getting a Nerf gun and having an all out competition with a target drawn on one of my french doors! (Even my 86 year old dad got in on the action!) It was crazy!
Then we all settled down to read the Nativity story in Luke 2. The kids loved the nativity costumes and it turned out really cute to have them act out the different parts!
So are you now ready to move into 2013?
It seems like we all turn to organizing and setting some goals for the new year and I have a fun little idea for you. I am not very good at setting goals because they are the same every year, which means that I am not very good at accomplishing the goals that I set for myself! But I am good at making lists and accomplishing a lot of the things on my list, so I love the idea of the Smash journals. If you are not familiar with them, the basic idea behind them is that you just “smash” your ideas, pictures, magazine articles, ticket stubs, etc into your book. Here is the description from the Smash Pinterest page:
“So, what do you Smash? Well, it doesn’t have to be a life event, just the special little moments and mementos of your day—some of that stuff in your junk drawer, for example. A snapshot, a ticket stub from that movie you loved, a newspaper clipping, a magazine snippet, a cardboard coaster from a favorite restaurant, your child’s first crayon doodle…get the idea? Smash it, jot a note or add a caption sticker, and go! Smash is a great way to document everyday life or a road trip.”
So I made some “Smash” books for some of my Christmas gifts this year!
Glittered Snowflakes
| December 21, 2012 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, Service |
The PTA leaders of all of the schools in Newtown, PA are requesting our help in supporting the families whose lives were turned upside down after last Friday’s tragedy. If you’re looking for a way to show sympathy and encouragement for this community, here is a project that is in need of support. It is a perfect activity for the entire family, or for any individual who’d like to help.
Recycled Sweater Scarf
| December 18, 2012 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, Fashion, Gift ideas, Sewing |
A couple of weeks ago, I visited a good friend of mine who had a boutique booth at “This is the Place” in Salt Lake City. She had so many cute things and it was fun to go to this boutique. It was outside in the winter time! They had fires going in the evenings and carolers and it was an old fashioned Christmas setting! So fun!
While at this boutique, one of my purchases was a fun sweater scarf.
I loved it and knew right away that I wanted to duplicate it and make some for Christmas gifts!
Aren’t these sisters the cutest!
They are my friend’s daughters and I asked them to be my models and they were so gracious to consent. I love how they all have their own very distinct personalities! They are such sweet girls.
Pin ItGuest Post-Poppy Seed Projects
| December 12, 2012 | Posted by Rita under Blogging, Crafts, Guest Post |
Hey everyone, I have a guest post over at
Poppy Seed Projects today.
Be sure to check it out here.
It is a fun magnet Advent Calendar!
You know how we are all counting down the days to Christmas, well this is just one more cute, easy way to do that and the 12 days of Christmas doesn’t even start till tomorrow, so it is not too late to start counting!
I hope that everyone has a great day and you can get some more shopping, baking, wrapping, serving, decorating or whatever it is that you want to get done today!
Love Ya!
Christmas Candy Jar
| December 12, 2012 | Posted by Rita under Candy, Christmas, Crafts, Decorating, Tutorials |
Merry Days and Silent Nights
| November 20, 2012 | Posted by Rita under Christmas, Crafts, For the Home, Tutorials |
I had the opportunity to attend a Blogging event at Poppy seed Projects yesterday and it was so much fun. Thank you Tauni, at Snap for arranging this fun event! We got to go to their store and shop and they had a fun project for the little kids where they made a turkey with their hand print on a cute little wooden plaque .
I bought this darling vinyl and I knew exactly where I was going to put it when I got home!
I love this saying because it reminds me that we can have fun with Christmas and be Merry, yet we also need to have those silent, quiet, reflective times to remember why we are even celebrating this holiday. Perfect!
“Velcome” to my Lab!
| October 17, 2012 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, Fall, Halloween, Holiday |
The Best Ever Halloween Countdown!
| October 12, 2012 | Posted by Rita under Candy, Crafts, Halloween, Printables, Tutorials |
Do you want to know why this is the best ever Halloween Countdown?
1-it is super cute!
2-it is easy to put together!
3-you can throw it away when you are done, no storing for next year!
4-you probably have most of the supplies already!
5-your kids will LOVE it!
6-you will be known as the best mom/grandma/aunt ever!
7-this countdown is for 13 spooky days, not 31 which is an overkill!
Is that enough reasons or do you need one more, all of the work has been done for you and all you have to do is print, cut, gather supplies and put it together, how easy is that?
So does anyone what to make a darling Halloween countdown for all of your kiddos? (more…)
Pin ItMeet Tilly the Witch!
| October 5, 2012 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, Fall, Halloween, Tutorials |
Today I would like you to meet my newest friend… Tilly. That is short for Matilda. She is so kind and has agreed to come and stay with us for awhile! She is not much trouble at all and even though she may look a little odd, we have tried to make her feel right at home here.
I just love making new friends…don’t you too? (more…)
Too Fa-BOO-lous Pillow (Plus a giveaway!)
| October 2, 2012 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, Giveaways, Halloween, Sewing |
I love to decorate for Halloween, but I usually will not put any decorations out until October, I cheated a little bit this year because I had one of my granddaughters here and I let her help me do some of the decorating last week. But I decorated my front porch today and I am excited to share it with you later this week. In the fall, I always seem to do a lot more crafts and sewing and this year has been no different. 
Spider Web Door
| September 25, 2012 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, Halloween |
“Eye” Candy Jars
| September 24, 2012 | Posted by Rita under Candy, Crafts, Fall, Halloween, Tutorials |
I have some exciting news to share with you today! I am going to be showing how to make these candy jars on Good Things Utah
on Monday, Oct. 8th at 10 am. I would love for you to join me and watch the tutorial of how to put these cute little babies together!
But for all my readers, here is the tutorial for you to make an “Eye” Candy Jar like these that we made at our craft retreat. They are so easy to make and yet are so darling! The thing that I love about these jars is that you can eat the candy after the holiday is done and then fill it up again for the next holiday! Apparently they make “Peeps” for most every holiday! Something that I didn’t know because I don’t like to eat them.
Pin It
Cute Monogram Pumpkin Door Hanging
| September 10, 2012 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, Fall |
I love, love, love to decorate for Halloween but I think that it is still a bit too early for that so I decided that I could at least put out a few fall decorations! This is a pumpkin that I made for my front door. I love that I can put it out now, take it down for Halloween, then put it back up for November!
I am loving the monograms lately for some reason and this one just jumped out at me!
Pin It
The Taping of Good Things Utah!
| April 25, 2012 | Posted by Rita under Blogging, Crafts, Printables, Tutorials |
Well I made it and lived to tell about it!
This was such an awesome experience now that it is done! I was actually very, very nervous! My good friend, Christina went up with me to show me how everything is done. She does a monthly segment on Good Things Utah, so I am sure that you have seen her before. I was so glad that she went with me and showed me how everything works! Thanks a ton Christina! My daughter also went with us and she is such a great support. I really appreciate her taking the time off work to go! I have such a great support group in my family and friends. Thanks everyone!
The staff at GTU were so great to help me feel a little less nervous. Here I am getting wired up with the microphone.
Good Things Utah Free Printable
| April 25, 2012 | Posted by Rita under As Seen on TV, Crafts, For the Home, Printables |
I am doing Good Things Utah this morning at 10 am MST.
I would love for you to join me!
This is the project that I will be showing, it would make a great gift for Mothers Day, Father’s Day, a Wedding or just for your own home decor!
Lucky Me!
| February 28, 2012 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, For the Home, Holiday, Printables |
I used to decorate for all the holidays when my children were little, but since they have all grown and moved out of the house, I do not do as much but I still have to decorate a little bit for the grand kids. St. Patrick’s day is not one that I usually do too much for. But I decided that I could decorate my repurposed tray that sits on my kitchen counter. This is what I came up with:
I made these printables to share with you. There is one cutsie one, and two modern ones. You can just print them and frame it like I did here.
Pin ItValentines Subway Art
| January 11, 2012 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, For the Home, Gift ideas, Printables, Valentines |
Is it too early to put out Valentine decorations? I know the stores had them out the day before Christmas, but that is just plain crazy! I know that there are a few of these already out there in blog land but I wanted to create my own version of a Valentines subway art. It was fun to create and I think that perhaps I shall have to try my hand at this for Easter!
I found this frame at the dollar store and I spray painted it with a Krylon, red gloss paint. The color really adds to the overall look of this project.
Here is the printable for you to use! Just right click and go to copy, then open your favorite program like Word, or Presentations and right click again and go to paste. The original is 8 x 10, but you can re-size it to whatever you would like. I had mine printed on glossy card stock and I think it looks great!
I have mine on my kitchen counter and it really brightens up my kitchen on these cold, dreary, winter days and makes me happy! :) These would be a great little gift for teachers, friends, sisters, SELF etc!
T-Shirt scarf
| October 19, 2011 | Posted by Rita under Crafts, Family, Gift ideas, Tutorials |
My sister and I were at our dad’s house, and she showed me how to make this cute t-shirt scarf. (Dad was a good sport and went along with all this bloggy stuff!)
Take an XL t-shirt and cut straight across the body from side to side, right under the arms.
Like this!
Then fold the t-shirt over so one side is about 1 inch away from the other side. Cut off the hem.
Start cutting 1-2 inch wide strips and cut just past the fold ..like this.
Continue cutting the entire length.
Hold on to the uncut part and pull each strip out and stretch it out all the way. This curls the edges.
Then open up the circle, so it looks like this.
Take a piece of the cut off hem and tie a knot around it. Tuck the ends into the layers.
And there you have it! An easy, cute, inexpensive infinity scarf!
This is another version of the infinity scarf…I cut all the way across the t-shirt into 1-2 inch wide strips and stretched them out, so I had several separate loops, then just hooked them together with a cute pin! You can make this one as full as you like. In this version, you could actually get 2 scarves out of one t-shrt! One for you and one to share!
Then the girls and I made these ruffled t-shirt scarves! I saw this idea on Pinterest here. There is a full tutorial there if you want to see it. But basically all you do is cut 8-12 circles out of an XL t-shirt. (Just trace around a 9″ paper plate)
Then you will cut each of the circles into a spiral.
We had lots of helpers, this is our littlest princess, (Isn’t she a doll?)
This is what the spiral will look like. Then Just stretch each spiral out and pull along the length of it to curl the edges. That is what makes the ruffles. I forgot to take a picture of the next step, but just take two pieces and glue together end to end with fabric glue, to make a long strip. Let dry, then lay all the strips out and using one of the strips, tie them all together in the middle and just let the ends hang down with the rest of the strips. Easy Peasy and NO SEWING! These would make darling gifts for the Holidays! (If you are having a hard time understanding this last step go to the link for a better tutorial.)
So what do you thiink? Do you want to try one now?
I added a cute little pin to mine and this is about as dressed up as I will get for Halloween!
If you try this out I would love to see what you have done! What other crafty things have you been doing?
