Framed American Flag

I love love love the Fourth of July! It's always been one of my favorite holidays. I love all things Americana. Fourth of July took on a new meaning to me after 9/11. I played "I'm Proud to be an American" by Lee Greenwood over and over again.

Since I don't have a house, I needed to display a form of the American flag inside my apartment. I made this in literally 10 minutes yesterday. Simple but it reminds me what this holiday is really about.

And not only is this one of my favorite holidays but the Olympics are coming up. Holy guacamole...I LOOOOVE the Olympics!! My house is going to be Olympics central. It will be on 24/7!

I mean, really, how can you NOT be proud to be an American? :)

These are all the supplies I used but this is so simple I'm not including a tutorial. Go make a flag to display!

Supplies:

- Frame

- Scrapbook paper

- Glue

- Scissors/paper cutter

- Corner rounder

- Distress ink

- Star punch

- Stickers

Sharing here: Itsy Bitsy Paper, 52 Mantels,  

Personalized Wedding Pillow

I don't have a Silhouette. Sigh. I DO have a Cricut but I haven't invested the $$$ in all the cartridges, so one of my favorite ways to personalize things is to use 

FREEZER PAPER STENCILING!!!

Have you done it? I looooove it! 

My husband's cousin got married over the weekend and he wanted me to make them a personalized pillow, so this is what I came up with:

I have NO idea if they liked it. But my husband liked it, so really, that's all I care about :)

Here's a quick tutorial on freezer paper stenciling:

1. Print off the letters you want to use off your computer. I used Honey Script for the "Olson" and Helvetica for the date. I laid them out in front of the piece of fabric I was using to make sure they were the size I wanted.

2. Cut out the letters, but make sure you cut out the BLACK lettering! Don't cut the white part. You'll be using these for stencils.

3. Use those paper stencils and trace them onto the freezer paper. Cut those out the same way...those are another set of stencils. Once you've cut out your stencils from the freezer paper, iron them onto your fabric. (Make sure you center it!)

4. Paint over the stencil. Make sure it's dry before you peel the freezer paper off. Sidenote: I used this paint because it says it's permanent. I accidentally got a little on the pillow where it wasn't supposed to be and I couldn't wash it off! So I guess it's legit. I had to put the date over that spot so the pillow wasn't ruined!

5. I like to use THIS tutorial as a basis for making envelope-style pillows. Which is the last step! Turn your pillow into a pillow! And there you have it!

Sharing here: Not Just a Housewife, Mommy by Day Crafter by Night, Creative Itch, Winthrop Chronicles, Vintage Wanna Bee, Naptime Delights, Ginger Snap Crafts, Lil Luna, Rae Gun Ramblings, Southern Lovely, Free Pretty Things for You, 36th Ave, Seven Alive, 52 Mantels, Katie's Nesting Spot,                 

Destination: Cutesy Monday (#22)

Hello again! I know I was a little absent again but this time it was because half the week my in-laws were here and the other half we were in South Carolina for a family wedding! 

Hopefully this week will be a lot slower and a lot more normal!

Here are some of the most viewed links from last week:

Chair Reupholstering Fabric Tutorial

by Pandora's Craft Box

Whimsical Wall Art

by Creatively Living

Driveway Photography 

by Anna Nimmity

 Organized Spice Containers

by Sip-n-wear

Awesome projects!!! So much creativity out there! Let's see what you've been up to!!

Sweet Accent Pillow

My mom's birthday was approaching and I was really stumped as to what to get her. But then I looked at the gorgeous fabrics from my Tabletop Quilt and decided I had to make her something with that fabric. I thought a pillow was just the ticket.

Isn't it adorable? I love how it turned out! And it's pretty darn easy, especially if you have a layer cake sitting around. Wanna make one, too? Here's a quick tutorial:

1. I used a Travel Pillow from Wal-mart. I think it was $3-4. Way better than the prices at craft stores. 

2. I used squares from a layer cake and cut them into 1-inch strips. If you don't have a layer cake you'll want to make sure your strips don't measure as tall as your pillow. Make them 4-5 inches shorter. 

3. Next I sewed the strips together. Measure your pillow lengthwise so you know how many strips you'll need to sew together. I actually didn't sew enough, but I'll show you what I did later.

4. See, so I measured my strip length and it was a little short, so I added some matching fabric on the side. It ended up looking nice once it was all sewn up.

5. Next you'll need the gathered parts. I made strips about 3 inches wide and double the length I was working with. Sew on both long sides of the strips with the longest stitch on the sewing machine. Then pull the end strings to gather the fabric up. Make sure to do this to both sides. Your strips should look like this (sorry about the nasty ironing board!):

6. Next, attach the gathered strips to your original piece.

7. Almost done! You'll need a back piece. Sew the back piece to your front piece with the right sides together. Make sure to leave an open space big enough to stuff your pillow into.

8. Once you stuff your pillow in, sew it up! Clip the corners and cut off any excess fabric. And you'll have a new sweet accent pillow :)

Love it!!

Sharing here: Ginger Snap Crafts, Fabric Bows & More, Sew Woodsey, Lil Luna, Rae Gun Ramblings, Southern Lovely, 36th Ave, 52 Mantels, The Gilded Hare, Embracing Change, Seven Alive, Katie's Nesting Spot, One Artsy Mama,                

Destination: Cutesy Monday #21

Hellllo!!!

Have you missed me? I promise, I have a good excuse....

I was at the beach!!

Doesn't it look heavenly? It WAS...except for the sickness going around :( 

That wasn't awesome. But I did get a great tan!

Here are some of the awesome projects from last week:

Easy Kids Pajamas

by VixenMade

Turban Headbands

by Winthrop Chronicles

Outdoor Pillows

by Babblings and More

DIY Coach Onesie

by The Bean Sprout Notes

I'd love to see what you've been up to!

A couple of rules:

- Link up new projects!

- Link back to me, and...

- Show some love to other blogs!!

Father's Day Stickers

I know I told you about the laminator my mom bought me while she was here but I never showed you the sticker maker she bought me.

Yes, that's right...sticker maker!

And she bought it at Wal-Mart. I'm pretty sure everyone has access to a Wal-Mart. It was $20.

Anyway, this thing is pretty awesome. You don't need double-sided tape if you own one of these things. Let me show you what I made for Father's Day with this bad boy.

How cute is this sticker?! I just used this lil machine:

And did these 3 simple steps:

 This machine doesn't need heat, batteries, or electricity! You just need to turn the wheel and you have super cute stickers. I used cardstock to make them a little thicker and they came out PERFECT. So fun for Father's Day! I'm going to have my hubby wear his on his suit at church :)

Sharing here: Ginger Snap Crafts, Rae Gun Ramblings, Lil Luna,   

Destination: Cutesy Monday (#20)

Hello again, friends!

Right now I'm in a gorgeous condo at the beach. It has been wonderful...except for the Urgent Care visit I had to make this morning :( My daughter had an awful cough all last night so I took her to see a doctor. Fingers crossed that tonight will be better!

Here are some of the wonderful projects from last week:

Invisible Sandal Strap

by Moments with the Montanos

DIY Alphabet Chart

by Sip-N-Wear

Mod Podge Step Stool

by According to L

Now let's see what you've been up to!

My Rules:

- Link up *new* projects

- Link back to me someway, somehow

- Visit another blog & spread some love!

Father's Day Goodie Bags

Are you ready for Father's Day yet? Ha, me neither. But since I'm going to be lounging on the beach next week (and when I say lounging, I really mean chasing two kids around) I needed to get some things done early.

I saw a picture of these on Pinterest and knew I had to make some! My father-in-law will be here for Father's Day, too, so I made 2 goodie bags. These took me, like, 5 minutes and they're so cute! I'm planning on putting candies in them and placing them next to their dinner plates. 

1. Start with a white lunch sack. Cut the ends in a triangle shape. 

2. Cut out your tie from scrapbook paper. Make sure the top and the bottom of the ties are cut in different directions. 

3. Fold over the top of the lunch sack and attach ties with double sided tape! Easy!!

Sharing here: One Artsy Mama, Love Notes by Lauren, See Vanessa Craft, Nap Time Crafters, 30 Handmade Days, Flamingo Toes, I Heart Naptime,       

Beaded & Embroidered Mason Jars

So, I never did show you my Bead Entry for The One Crafty Contest. Unfortunately, it was my only entry, as I didn't move on. But that's okay. I'll just enter a million contests for the experience :)

When I heard it was a bead round, I was NERVOUS. I don't craft with beads for a reason. I'm not great with them. I tried to do something with pearl beads and failed. Then I decided to just do something within my realm of comfort. And then I was a lot less stressed.

I "embroidered" and beaded some felt flowers and stuck them on some Mason jars! Super cute storage. 

I bought Czech beads, which I LOVE. They are super pretty and not over the top. They were also easy to sew on.

Want to learn how to really embroider? Here are some links:

- Living With Lindsay

- The Inspired Room

- Prudent Baby

Sharing here: Ginger Snap Crafts, Lil Luna, Rae Gun Ramblings, Southern Lovely, 36th Ave, 52 Mantels, Daisy Cottage Designs, DIY Dreamer, Seven Alive, Katie's Nesting Spot,