Love Bugs

  

 The weather tonight was not pretty; a bit of a snowfall, followed by freezing rain left us with a mixture of mud and slush. "Mush". It was, however, the perfect weather for crafting. So, on the way home from work, I stopped by Dollarama to grab some odds and ends. I was able to score a haul of yucky-weather-craft-supplies for under five bucks!

 




Also used for this craft were toilet paper rolls! We have made it a habit to save these, paper towel rolls, kleenex boxes, and other would-be-garbage items for the purposes of crafting.

Before starting our crafts tonight, we had a super simple lesson on colours, matching coloured clothes pins to the corresponding colour block. Real ground-breaking stuff.

 Right when Ryan was on the verge of as much masked learning as a 2 year old can handle in one sitting, we moved on to the fun part -- the creation of our "love bugs".

I loved this find because Ryan could do most of the crafting herself. Sometimes with craft ideas I pick up from other blogs or Pinterest boards, I end up having to carry out most of the steps myself. I definitely suggest these "love bugs" for anyone who wants their child to actively participate in the crafting. You know, as opposed to when we are doing toddler themed crafts for the purpose of our own enjoyment. Don't judge, you know it happens.

The only step that I had to do myself was poking the hole in the back of "body" of the bug, so that I could stick the "antennae" through.





While crafting, Ryan used her colour matching to pick out the nose, antennae, and wings for our love bugs!








This would be the perfect Valentine's Day craft, and we may do them again closer to the holiday, using more pinks, reds and heart shaped decorations. One suggestion that I have for anyone looking to do this with their own littles is to find eyes and noses that have sticky backing. It will save you some time, and some sticky fingers! 

All in all, it was a fun way to spend the night indoors with our loveliest love bug of all! 

Hold your bows!

I loved this DIY for so many reasons. 

Firstly, the fact that I completed it – from start to finish- in less than a day!
Also, I completed it while nearing the 42 week pregnant mark. I can't lie and say that I was battling through swollen feet or an achy back to do so, because fortunately I feel fantastic. Maybe this last minute ‘must-do’ translates into the whole ‘nesting’ thing moms tend to take part in pre-labour. Or maybe I'm just wishful thinking.

I also loved doing this project because of the materials that I was able to put to use.
The plank that is used to hold the clothespins is no other than a trusty piece of corn crib that my Dad ripped off when I asked if he had any spare barn board lying around. This, in itself, is a testimony to the kind of Papa (and Dad) that he is. You need the shirt off of his back? Sure. Plank off of his corn crib? Absolutely.  I'm overjoyed that our girl’s nursery will now be home to a little piece of the Family Farm.

The clothespins that I used (which I dyed yellow using Rit Fabric Dye from Michael’s) were the same clothespins that were used to hang up photos of Kevin and I when we said our “I Do’s” almost 2 years ago. Another plus to DIY’ing your own wedding: This will be the umpteenth house project that we’ve been able to re-use the decor from our special day for!

So, there you have it. A simple, rustic-looking headband holder for our eventual newborn who could not care less that I have a corresponding bow for every possible outfit she will be forced into. 

Do you have a little lady in your life that needs a place to display all things fancy? I am now officially on maternity leave and am taking orders. Feel free to contact me for a custom build. Any colour, size or theme – I’m your girl.

 Happy headband holding!

A Letter Twining "How-To"

Today’s blog is brought to you by popular demand. I’ve always wanted to say that.

Truthfully, though, the topic of today’s blog – “Letter Twining” – is one that I was asked to create by a number of my fellow DIY crafters! So, what the people want, the people get!

I, myself, hung my twined monogram letter (C – for Carpenter) in our hallway where I am in the process of creating a shabby-chic, mismatched display of all things love. See inspiration below.

(If you want to see more projects that I have completed or plan to complete in my own home – check out my “Home Sweet Home” board on Pinterest at http://www.pinterest.com/caresselle/home-sweet-home/ )

However, these decorated letters have been growing in popularity and in the last month and I taken an order for a wedding head table (twined and accented with camouflage fabric) as well as a nursery (twined and accented with light pink ribbon and pearls). I will be finishing my own twined letter with 2 floral accents, made of lace, because I have an unhealthy obsession with the whole twine and lace combination. But, the first step in the healing process is admitting that you have a problem....

I will say, the process of twining wooden letters is one that takes some time. Because of the intricacy, it isn't something you will want to rush. In total, to complete one letter, the process took me about 3 hours. I started it last night and completed it tonight. As soothing as the process is (similar to what I believe knitting must be for those who knit) it is also one that takes an incredible amount of patience. Unfortunately, I’m not always the most patient person (I’m working on it) and so for that reason, I split my labour between two evenings. I took a mental break, of sorts. Besides, there are only so many hot glue gun burns these swollen, pregnant, Oktoberfest sausage-lookin’ fingers can take in one sitting.

Also, don't give yourself a fresh manicure before twining. Speaking from experience.

Step 1/What you will need):
· Your Letters (I purchased mine at Michael’s)
·         Twine (I buy mine in bulk online, but for smaller scale projects it is also available at Michael’s) ·         Hot glue gun
·         Scissors (believe me, this is not 6^th grade and you are not unpeeling a Clementine – you will not be able to twine your letter successfully with one, solid, uncut piece of twine).
·         Something Metal (this is for flattening the twine against the letter in those more difficult curvatures of the letter. I used scissors but a nail file would work great, too!)

Step 2: 
Twine over the edges that will not be covered in the same motion as your twining. This will require cutting the twine into approx 1-inch pieces and gluing them width wise (or length wise depending on what look your going for) to your letter.

Step 3:
Begin twining your letter, covering the work done during your 2^nd step, first.

Step 4:
Continue twining. This is where the process has the opportunity to be relaxing. Remember to glue the twine down periodically (on the side of the letter that will not be showing) as you go.

Step 5:
Make an indication mark with a sharpie on the back of your letter where any holes exist.
Note: this is only necessary if you will be hanging your monogrammed letters. If they are going to be displayed on a mantle, head table, or if you are going to be adding a ribbon to the letter and hanging it on a door, this step isn’t necessary.

Ta-da!
Once you have fully covered your letter, you’re done! If there are any weak spots where the original under-letter is peaking through, this provides you with a perfect place to glue your accents, whether it be a flower, pearls, gems, ribbon, seashells, or something else! For more great monogram letter ideas check out:  http://www.pinterest.com/joycem/letter-monogram-ideas/

There you have it (said in the exact accent of the man from Art Attack) - you can create letters to be displayed around your own home (nursery, living room mantle, on the wreath to your front door) or to showcase at your next event or holiday party. I also think they make great gifts, though, you may want to wait until you’ve got the hang of it first – unless the gift is for your parents, then, it doesn't matter how tacky it turns out. Remember, these are the people that spent hundreds of dollars on a Christmas tree only to proudly display your stale macaroni ornaments.

Happy Twining, folks!

A well-read woman is a dangerous creature.

When you're expecting a child, you start to think about things that may not have crossed your mind before. Of course, many people think of how many children they might want to have, what they'd like to name those said children or what kinds of sports and activities they'd like them to partake in. Additionally, if you're anything like me, you will be awoken from a deep slumber with anxious thoughts such as “what if my child doesn't like to read”. It’s a real fear if you, yourself, grew up an avid bookworm.

I know that we won’t have complete control over whether our first born daughter is a literary prophet or if she frequents sparknotes to complete her half-assed book reports, partially because I think that enjoying to read is both a mix of nature as well as nurture. You can lead a horse to water, but, you know the rest. However, we do plan on doing everything in our power to pave the way for her to read and to love reading.  What better place to start than by making sure she has her very own bookshelf? Which leads me to share this week’s post – our simple, DIY bookshelf refurbish.

We bought the shelf for $10 at our local Goodwill. Correction, the bookshelf was on sale for $10 at our local Goodwill and my mother, being who she is, went on Senior’s Discount Day and got it for us for $8. The lady is a bargain vulture; she circles far above your average bargain hunter, watching... waiting. Anyways, we got the bookshelf for 8 bucks and being the theme whore that I am, I knew it needed that extra ‘something’ to make it perfect for the nursery (which is, grey and white in colour with pops of yellow accents everywhere I can fit them). Note: Grey and Yellow is my absolute favourite colour combo of all time. It was also the colour theme for our wedding. When I like something, I really, really, really like it.

This DIY was an easy one, partially because it was my first attempt at refurbishing a bookshelf, and partially because I didn't want to spend too much time or energy on an intricate, detailed design when 90% of the shelf is going to be covered in books for the remainder of its life.

So, the steps are as follows.
1. We popped the back of the bookshelf off
2. We spray painted the back of the bookshelf
3.We nailed the back of the bookshelf back on

I thought, momentarily, about using painters tape to tape up a pattern which I could then paint over before removing. I also shopped around a bit for a nice fabric or paper that I could modge podge to the back of the bookshelf, but, I ended up taking the simpler route this time and I don’t regret it!

Whether she ends up using it to store her most favourite dog-eared, escapes from reality, or not, at least I will be able to sleep easier knowing that we are doing our part to give her the best start possible. If nothing else, the bookshelf makes a super cute feature piece in the corner of the nursery.