Valentine Ribbon Garland

This is a fun project that your kids can do with minimal help.  We have made these garlands for almost all holidays.  I bought our ribbon at the Dollar Tree and Costco, and used white tulle to fill in between the ribbons.

If you use ribbon from the Dollar Tree you will likely need 10 rolls to fill the entire light string.  I typically buy the 50 light strand and it's long enough to drape over our mantle and hang down the sides.

Cut your ribbon into strips 6-9 inches long.  You will not need to cut the tulle as long as the ribbon.  Next just tie the ribbon on in any order you like.  You can have as many different patterns and colors as you like.  It's a super easy and fun project for kids to do.

Photo Coasters

I made these photo coasters for several friends this Holiday season.  They are super easy and fun to make.  The hardest part is getting good pictures of those you love.  I stole my pictures from friends Facebook pages.  I got my coasters at the Dollar Tree in the kitchen section.  You will also need Mod Podge which can be purchased at any craft store and a brush.

I used a sample picture to cut a template by tracing around one of the coasters.  You will need to trim it slightly to fit the top of the coaster because you don't want it to hang over the edge.

Once you have sized the pictures, you will apply your first layer of Mod Podge to the top of the coaster.  You'll want to put a mat down because this is glue and can be very messy.  Place the photo on top of the glue and slide it to fit evenly.

Next you will apply thin layers of Mod Podge over the photo, until you have added 7 coats.  Wait a half hour between coats and make sure the glue is dry.  If it's tacky at all, it will ball up on the next coat.  When you first add the glue it will look milky but dry clear.

Let them dry for a full 24 hours before you stack them to make sure they are completely dry.

Kids Room Floor Pillow

My friend sent me this idea and I loved it for Morgan's room.  She has a bunk bed so there's no real place for her and her friends to sit and hang out.  I didn't have size information to work with, so I just guessed on how much fabric to buy.  Luckily it worked out perfect.  For the top and bottom I bought 2 yds and the sides 1 yd.  Next I used some old blankets that I was going to give away and folded them into the approximate size I wanted the cushion.  I used the stack of blankets to cut the fabric to the size for the cushion.

I sewed all six pieces together leaving one side open for me to stuff all the blankets in.

The girls loved it and were excited to try it out.

Valentine Envelopes

This is a fun project my crafting BFF found last January.  They are chair back Valentine envelopes to stash surprises in for your little ones.  We put a small surprise in every day starting February 1st up until Valentines Day.  The surprises were things like stickers, pens, stamps and candy.  My girls loved getting up in the morning and seeing what was waiting for them.

Below is a link to the tutorial we used to make them.  We ended up using a whole lot of hot glue!!!!

http://thecraftingchicks.com/2011/01/diy-felt-valentine-envelopes-pottery-barn-kids-style.html

I love you, Fabric Depot

I'm in love with all the fabric choices at Fabric Depot.  Yesterday I spent $12.00 on fabric to re-cover 4 of our couch throw pillows.  I'm hooked and am going back soon so I can change the pillows in the living room.

Dish Towel Pillow

A friend gave me the cutest dish towel with an owl on it recently as a gift.  I knew right away I wanted to make it into a pillow.

I was going to add a trim around the pillow but decided last minute that the owl was cute alone.  I picked a navy and white chevron fabric for the back of the pillow.  I have been on a bit of a chevron print kick lately.

See.....isn't it cute?

Add life to an old lamp shade

As I was moving things around in my house today, I realized that I have moved the same lamp over and over because I didn't love it.  I decided to add some fun to the old lamp.  My sister gave it to me years ago and for some reason I have never given it away.  I had some fabric left over from a recent project and decided to add a flower to the shade.  If you don't have extra fabric, they sell small fabric squares used for quilting that are only a few dollars each.  I free handed an imperfect flower with a sharpie and cut it out.

Next I used a different fabric and traced around this flower.  When I went to cut it out, I just made sure to cut it a little bit smaller.

I used one of my kids cups to trace a round circle for the center but decided it needed more.  I had bought a newspaper print flower for another project and used it for the center of the flower.

Next I hot glued the largest flower on, then layering the other fabrics on top.  I realize it's not a perfect flower but a friend told me, nothing hand-made is perfect.