Button Hair Clips

Dear Reader,

All has been silent on the blog for more than a week as our family recovered from the stomach flu.  Each of us took our turn, and we are so grateful to be on the other side of that.  No fun.

I have had in mind a little project for a few weeks.  I read Jami Nato's blog and have wanted to try out her fabulous idea for button hair clips.  I finally put some together this week and couldn't be happier with the result.  Cute.  Colorful.  Inexpensive.  What is not to like?!!

supplies: buttons, hair clips, and super glue

glue.  drying.

done.  pillow box for a few sets.  ribbon + a clip for decoration.

These will certainly come in handy for Easter baskets, birthday gift extra somethings, and big sister gifts when friends have new babies.  And, of course, I have a little girl whose hair would benefit from a hair clip now and then.

I'm linking up with Tatertots and Jello.  Hope your weekend is a great one (and germ free) - that's what I'm hoping for also!

DIY Spring Moss Wreath

Dear Reader,

This is the longest part of winter in my opinion.  Once we reach mid-February, I become quite done with the weather and begin the transition to spring decor in our home even if the snow and bare trees and chilly temps suggest that spring is nowhere near!

An evergreen wreath still hung on our front door a week ago, and so I decided it was time to work on a new one.  I thought a moss wreath would provide an earthy and fresh spring look, and so I picked up supplies to craft one:

I used a grapevine wreath and hot glued bright green Spanish moss onto the wreath, leaving some exposed vine pieces.  Warning: Attaching the moss is a messy process! Then I used some spring embellishments (a nest and paper mâché bird) to provide the finishing touches.  Here is how it turned out:

This is an easy and inexpensive wreath that would be a fun addition to a front door (in my case) or to a mantel, entryway, etc. also.

I am linking up with Tatertots and Jello and Or so she says... and Osie Moats, and I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Craft Show Recap

Dear Reader,

I hope that your Monday has started well!  After a number of posts and references to the craft show, I thought a quick recap would be in order.  Here are a few highlights from the day:

• Meeting some very kind people who expressed interest in the blocks
• Seeing some wonderful family and friends who stopped by or sent a "thinking of you" text (including a visit from Jill who stopped by with her less than week old precious newborn - impressive, right?!)
• Spending time with my mom, mother-in-law, and dear friend Kara who all helped with the booth - many thanks to each of them!
• Talking with the two fabulous women with booths close to mine, both very talented women who seem to juggle their businesses and family life very well

The word that comes to mind in all of this is gratitude.  I am thankful for the family and friends that support me in this endeavor.  Thankful to have found a good creative outlet for myself.  Thankful for people who would enjoy giving the blocks as gifts to their family and friends.  Did everything go just as planned this weekend?  Not really.  And yet, all of the highlights point to a positive experience well worth the effort.

Thanks for reading! 

Back to School Care Package

Dear Reader,

I love buying school supplies.  I had fun with the experience as a child (shopping with my mom and the list provided by my school) and now enjoy thinking toward that experience with my son.  There is a wonderfully fresh feeling about starting the year off with new notebooks, ink pens that have a lot of writing-life in them, and pencils with completely unused erasers.

Over the last few years, I have tried to put together care packages for some family and friends who are starting a new year of school.  I find it a great opportunity to let them know that you're thinking of them, especially with extended family and friends to whom I don't send a birthday card or Christmas gift during the year.

I'm working on the finishing touches for a package headed out this week to a friend of ours, a young woman who is starting at a new school this year.  Here are a few of the standards that are making their way into the package:

{composition notebooks, highlighters, pens, dictionary, sticky notes, and a felt flower clothespin}

 And I also worked on a craft to send along - a pencil case.  I painted and then added decorative paper to the lid.  I sealed the box, hot glued a felt bottom to the box, and then added a mini chalkboard embellishment to the top.  The pencils are inside and ready to be sharpened!

I remember my back to school experiences always feeling somewhat bittersweet - excitement about a new academic year and what experiences to consider ahead, and yet also sad to let go of the carefree conditions of summer.  I imagine that words of encouragement, a thinking of you note, or small package may be a nice boost with school days and homework ahead.

I'm linking up with Heather today for Life Made Lovely Monday!

Party with Pinwheels

Dear Reader,

I loved the amount of relaxation that came with this weekend.  My husband, son, and I had a nice balance of time spent with both sides of our family as well as some memorable moments with just the three of us.  Along with celebrating the 4th over the weekend, we had my husband's family over for dinner to celebrate my son's 4th birthday AND my mother-in-law's birthday (which she didn't expect to celebrate this weekend - surprise!)  How delightful to have so many reasons to be merry!

I rather enjoy hosting parties, and I often aim to try a new craft for one of the decorations.  For this occasion I made pinwheels using Emily's tutorial from jones design company (her tutorials inspire me enough to attempt them!)   I made a few tweaks by using ribbon to wrap the pencils and two-sided scrapbook papers (which matched nicely with the party napkins.)  I am so pleased with how they turned out.  I filled some parfait glasses with sand, and these pinwheels acted as a fun and festive centerpiece for the party.

Although the details of a party are sometimes worth a mention, I truly hope that my mother-in-law and my son both felt fully celebrated by our family this weekend.  My mother-in-law is such a giving, kind woman, and our family is so blessed to have her in our lives.  My son is truly my husband's and my delight, and we are overwhelmed by the gift that he is to us!

I hope that today is a lovely day for you.  Thanks for reading.

Tutorial: Fabric Framed Sign Art

Dear Reader,

I decided to try out a craft project this weekend with some extra linen from the wreath project and an old wall hanging frame that was sitting in our storage room.   Here is the result:

There are so many possibilities of art that could be crafted together in a similar way for gift giving.  A 5" letter followed by a name for a nursery (example: A, Abi), the name of a couple and their wedding date, a family name and the established date as a housewarming, etc.   Below are the steps to this project:

1. Gather supplies.  You'll need: one frame, one piece of foam board or cork board, fabric, chipboard letters, hot glue gun, scissors, pencil, ruler, spray paint, and any embellishments (I used ribbon.)

2. Begin by spray painting the chipboard letters.  They will likely need two coats of paint.  I used an ivory satin paint.

 
3. Take apart the wall hanging frame.  You will need the actual frame and the backing, but the glass and any matting will not be used. Using the frame's back, trace the size of the frame on the foam board with a pencil and cut.  Then take the foam board and cut fabric to size, leaving an additional inch on each side to fold over the fabric.

4. Hot glue the fabric to the foam board by wrapping the additional fabric around the back side of the foam board and placing a thin bead of glue around the perimeter of the fabric to attach.  With my project, I added the ribbons prior to adding the chipboard letters to help define the placement of the lettering.  Hot glue the ends of the ribbons to the back of the foam board, making certain to pull taut as you glue.

5. Lay out the lettering and use a ruler for even positioning of letters.  Hot glue letters to the fabric.

And that's it.  This was an easy project that I am likely to repeat.  Please feel free to contact me if any additional details would be helpful.

The Sincerely Abi sign is now on an easel in our office.  I've tucked a few business cards in the ribbons, and the sign is a nice reminder of the fun that I have with the shop and blog.

Sincerely,
Abi

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Weekend Craft Project

Dear Reader,

I hope you're having a good start to your Monday!  This weekend seemed to pass by in a flash with a lot of fun moments along the way.  I began work on a new concept with block-making, and I made a spring wreath.  I am always excited about the latest posts by Emily at jones design company, and I attempted to follow her tutorial on a spring wreath design.  Here is the result:

I enjoyed this project and trying a new craft, but I must admit that I think blocks are the right ongoing craft endeavor for me.

Sincerely,
Abi

Felt Flowers

Dear Reader,

I've spent a lot of time at home this January, which has actually worked out just fine.  I will say though that I started to get a bit of cabin fever early in the month, resulting in trying a new project.  I had a baby gift to package and thought a felt flower on top would be an awesome addition.  Full disclosure: my very talented friend Jill at Cora Anne has given me Christmas presents the last two years with a handmade felt bow in 2009 and then this past year with a Pleated Poppy petal pusher!  Her beautiful gift prep provided the inspiration to make these:

I used three tutorials on felt flowers (found here, here, and here!), added button embellishments from my button box, and then hot glued on a clothespin to create a reusable flower/bow.   (This also solidified my love of a hot glue gun!)  Here is the baby gift with the felt flower:

I'm really pleased with the result.  (So much so that I made about a dozen Christmas versions for the 2011 holiday season.  Cabin fever?  Yes, that's for sure!)

Sincerely,
Abi

Tissue Paper Pom Poms

Dear Reader,

During the holidays, my mother-in-law hosted a shower for the future bride of my husband's cousin.  I helped with some of the shower details, and I decided to try to make tissue paper pom poms via Martha Stewart's tutorial.   Here is how my attempt turned out:

I liked loved this decoration for the bridal shower!  I'm pretty sure these pom poms are a must for any future showers in which I am involved as these flowers provide a lot of color and a lovely decorative touch befitting a party of this sort. 

Sincerely,
Abi

Gifts for Great Teachers

Dear Reader,

My son is taking a number of early childhood classes through our school district this year.  I wanted to give a small gift to the two teachers that work with the students to offer our thanks for their efforts!  I decided to decoupage a clip board using a fun Amy Butler print.  I added a raffia ribbon and clipped a few notepads and pens and a Christmas card.  Now, let's hope the teachers find this gift useful (and maybe even a little fun!)

Sincerely,
Abi

 

Chronic Craft Experiments

Dear Reader,

I consider myself to be a fairly organized person. I like to plan for things. I like to arrive early. I like to schedule our meals for the coming week. I like creating files (using my trusty label maker.) I like keeping my spices in alphabetic order for easy access. In most areas of my life, I like order.

Besides the obvious need to be "go with the flow" with my two year old, there is another aspect of my life that shows no order or natural progression. I really enjoy trying crafts. (Please note the word "trying" in that sentence.) Here are just a few of the crafts that I've attempted:

- scrapbooking (one book, maybe two)
- knitting (a few scarfs)
- basket weaving (one completed, another started)
- stamping (cards, place cards, invites)
- baby block making (occasionally revisited for select new babies)
- sock puppet sewing (as a special favor to my then one year old)
- decoupage collage making(one set of three prints)
- upholstering (one ottoman)

And now, drum roll please, I'm onto card making. We'll see how long this lasts! I think I enjoying trying the craft more than sticking with it, but I always justify the start of a new one by thinking that this craft will: 1. be the one for me and 2. save so much money rather than buying [fill in the blank]. With this evolution of craft experiences over the years though, I'm coming to terms with the fun being as much in the creating as in the end product.

Sincerely,
Abi

Originally posted by Sincerely Abi on September 8, 2009