June 2022

Three Things Thursday

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Welcome to Three Things Thursday, where I get to share with you some fun finds from the linky parties I visit each week.  I love to share some great crafty inspiration with you.  Here are three things that caught my eye this week:

1.  I think this Eclectic Bracelet from The Scrap Shoppe is just gorgeous!  You could dress it up or down, and it goes with just about anything!

2.  Freshly Completed blogged about How to Win a Pumpkin Carving Contest, with a picture of the judge (which in this case was the bishop of her church!)  I think this is such a fun, creative idea!  I have my own pumpkin decorating contest coming up….

3.  CuteBugDesigns is putting together a whole pirate party, and I am in love with this Pirate Fondant Figure she created.  She even offers a tutorial for you if you are ambitious!  I would love to learn more about fun cake decorating like this.

Thanks for the inspiration ladies!  Feel free to grab a button if you like!

Crafting with Kids- Cute Spring Sign

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Whenever I start making something, my daughter wants to help.  I should be nurturing that crafty desire, but most of the time I just want to get the project done.  So, this time, I have a craft that can be done with your kids, and it will add just the right touch of spring to your home! To make this you need the following: Pencil Scrapbook paper Glue Scissors or paper cutter Ribbon To begin with, we cut “spring-y” scrapbook paper into 1/4 inch strips.  Then we curled them around a pencil very tightly.  We gently slid them off to get circles like this: Next, we cut out letters for the top.  I used my Silhouette, but you could easily cut them out by hand. Then, I took a white sheet of cardstock, painted a light layer of glue where I wanted the flower curls and ribbon.  We also glued the letters on. We let it dry a little, then mounted it on an old empty frame.  My daughter liked it like this, but you could really fancy it up in a better fitting frame and add some embellishments.  I probably would have done more,  but I promised to let her do it her way.  (So hard to let go!  But it will pay off down the road, I hope, as she learns and develops her own craftiness….) Anyway, this was quick and easy, and I think it turned out cute.  We had fun together, too, which sometimes is all that counts.

 Linking up to some of my favorite parties here:        

Thanks for the feature!

WInner- I Adore Decor. And….Ballet Vinyl Wall Art

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Before we get to today’s project, let’s take care of a little business.  We have a winner for the I Adore Decor Custom 8×10 Art Print.  That winner is 

https://twitter.com/#!/sweetums82/status/159086434211463168

dlatany at gmail dot com

Congratulations Latanya!  I sent an email- please reply within 48 hours or I’ll have to choose a new winner! Now, on to today’s project. We moved my baby out of his crib, which means he’s not really a baby anymore!  Sniff….  So, that means my boys are sharing a room, and my daughter gets her own room!  Makeover! My daughter, who is almost seven, decided on a ballet theme for her room.  I’m not one for characters and themes in bedding- I prefer to choose a color scheme and use the accessories to create the theme.  So, here is my first project for her room:  Ballerina Vinyl Wall Art. I cut these shapes from adhesive vinyl with my Silhouette Cameo.  After adhering them to the wall, I thought- wouldn’t it be fun if I gave them little tutus?  So, I cut up some tulle from one of my daughter’s old tutus, then scrunched it up and hot-glued it to the ballerinas.  I don’t know if I should have used hot glue, but I did and it worked great!  I love the three-dimensional look! I finished it off with a quote appropriate for the room. Simple, fun, and best of all- free!  (Well, kind of.  I had everything on hand.)

Sharing at some of my favorite link parties this week:  I hope you’ll join in and party with me!  Have a great week.


Thrifted Easter Decor

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You’ve probably noticed a theme in my posts by now. I am cheap frugal. When you are a crafter, it can be a serious addiction! Having a wreath for every season, a decoration for every holiday and times in between can be expensive. So I do my best to stay in control and make amazing things inexpensively. 

I am definitely in lack of Easter decor so I took a trip to my local thrift store, which totally rocks, and perused through their Easter section, digging and looking for something I could turn into a great decoration. Boy did I find some awesome stuff! 

First was this wreath for $3. It was a great starting point with an awful ribbon which was EASY to fix!






Then I found this wooden bunny with fabric ears. Since the ears came out easily I felt like I could redo this and make it even cuter. I also found a tree and a new box to stick it in to hide the fading pastel basket.



So a brief explanation of what I decided to do with these elements. I removed the bunny’s ears, sanded and painted it a dark grey. Then I searched through my stash of fabrics to find something easter-y, but a bit more modern for new ears. I settled on two complimenting fabrics and…. wait for it…. attempted to sew. You guys, I am NOT a sewer. I made my pillow in 6th grade and that was it. I knew when I bought this bunny that sewing was going to have to happen. I dusted off my old Singer that I got at a garage sale, managed to fix the bobbin, and replicated the ears that already came with my bunny. I did that by tracing the old ears on to my two fabrics, and cut about a 1/4 inch around my lines to leave room for error. You can see I didn’t cut them evenly. I placed right sides together and sewed around the ear, leaving a hole so i could reach in and turn it inside out. Thankfully nothing snagged or got stuck, so it was success on the first try. I turned it inside out and fed it through the hole in my bunny’s head, creating two ears. I didn’t even sew up the hole since it’s mashed up inside his head, lol!  I’m SO proud of myself!
The last touch was to cover up the old basket that holds the wire tree. I stuck it inside the green box and shredded some grey cardstock in my paper shredder to create new grass. Then I threw a few dollar store eggs on my tree and it was done! I love how it came out!






My grand total for all of this (including the wreath) was $7. Seven dollars! You can’t beat that.  Now head to your thrift store and see what you can create!


Connect with us! You can find us here:

Water Bottle Motivational Tracker (Free Silhouette Cut File)

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This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WaterMadeExciting #CollectiveBias




Last year I lost ten pounds.  You can see how I did it here, but one of the biggest things I did to not only lose weight, but just feel better in general, was to drink more water.



I have always been horrible about drinking enough water.  I just didn’t enjoy drinking plain old water.

Well, the awesome thing about water is, you don’t have to drink it plain!  There are ways to enjoy flavored water without adding any extra calories or sugar, or at least keeping it very minimal.



For example, I love drinking flavored sparkling water.  I quit drinking soda, but I missed that carbonation BADLY.  For me, sparkling water was the answer.  The only problem is, it can get quite expensive.



So I was really excited to try out the SodaStream Power Automatic Sparkling Water Maker.  It automatically carbonates your water, and then you buy different flavors to make your water a bit more interesting!



You can choose your level of “fizz”.  I am definitely a three drop girl.



Simply fill your bottle with water,  attach it to the machine following the instructions, press your fizz button, and voila- sparkling water!  Now you just need some flavor.


SodaStream has several varieties of flavors:

Waters: all natural ingredients and very low calorie

Fruits: delicious fruit flavor combinations (though be careful of the calories on this one)

Zeros:  no-calorie, full-fruit flavors made with stevia

Gourmet Waters: unique chef-inspired flavor combinations with high quality natural ingredients



I tried several different flavors, and my favorite so far is the Berry Mix from the Fruits line.




Another thing that helps me drink more water is using a fun water bottle that helps me track what I’m drinking.



You can make one too, and all you need is a 32 oz water bottle, some vinyl, and a Silhouette (or a friend that has one!)



Download this cut file , open it in Silhouette Studio, resize if necessary for your bottle,



and cut it on your machine.



Remove the excess vinyl, including the pieces above the cut lines in the water drops, then apply transfer tape.



Move the design to your water bottle.  If your water bottle has marked spots for the different amounts, you can match up each line to your bottle.  Definitely apply this one line at a time!




If not, here’s how I figured out where to put them.  I filled a liquid measuring cup with 8 oz, then poured it into my bottle.  That’s where the 24 oz line went.  Repeat and mark the 16 oz line.  Do it a third time, and mark the 8 oz line.



(It is supposed to go “backwards” because you’re tracking how much water you drink as you go through the day). 

Make sure you hand wash these bottles, as the vinyl will not hold up in the dishwasher.  I also recommend using a more permanent vinyl, like Oracal 651, since water is involved here. 

Research is mixed on whether or not you actually need 64 oz of water a day, so I put REFILL at the bottom as an option.  I can promise you, though, if you even drink 32 oz a day, you will feel so much better!




It gives you energy, helps aching joints, keeps you from snacking mindlessly, and more.

The SodaStream Power would be a great holiday gift for anyone!  You can get free shipping with any order over $50, too!  Find all the latest SodaStream offers here.

How do you do at drinking water?  What flavor sparkling water do you want to try?

Three Things Thursday: Let’s Go to the Movies!

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Three Movies I Can’t Wait To See



1.  Catching Fire-   I know it’s out today but it will take some time with my husband’s busy schedule before we actually can get a babysitter and go see it.  I really enjoyed the books (even Mockingjay!) and am really excited to see this movie!



2.  Frozen-  I love to take my kids to movies.  When my youngest was a toddler he would cry and cry, so movies just never happened.  But now that they are old enough, we go to as many movies as we can.  Our local theater even has a Summer Movie Series, and we love to go every week.  My kids are just glued to the screen, and I love watching their reactions to the funny parts.

     They are so excited for a new Disney movie, and Frozen looks very entertaining.  We’ll be there next week when it opens!  




3.  Saving Mr. Banks-  A lot of people I know haven’t heard about this movie.  This is the story of how Walt Disney got Mary Poppins made into a movie, since the author P.L. Travers was adamantly against it.  It stars Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson, two actors I love to watch.  It sounds like a fascinating story!

There are others of course.  What movie(s) are you looking forward to seeing?


Connect with us! You can find us here:

WInner- I Adore Decor. And….Ballet Vinyl Wall Art

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Before we get to today’s project, let’s take care of a little business.  We have a winner for the I Adore Decor Custom 8×10 Art Print.  That winner is 

https://twitter.com/#!/sweetums82/status/159086434211463168

dlatany at gmail dot com

Congratulations Latanya!  I sent an email- please reply within 48 hours or I’ll have to choose a new winner! Now, on to today’s project. We moved my baby out of his crib, which means he’s not really a baby anymore!  Sniff….  So, that means my boys are sharing a room, and my daughter gets her own room!  Makeover! My daughter, who is almost seven, decided on a ballet theme for her room.  I’m not one for characters and themes in bedding- I prefer to choose a color scheme and use the accessories to create the theme.  So, here is my first project for her room:  Ballerina Vinyl Wall Art. I cut these shapes from adhesive vinyl with my Silhouette Cameo.  After adhering them to the wall, I thought- wouldn’t it be fun if I gave them little tutus?  So, I cut up some tulle from one of my daughter’s old tutus, then scrunched it up and hot-glued it to the ballerinas.  I don’t know if I should have used hot glue, but I did and it worked great!  I love the three-dimensional look! I finished it off with a quote appropriate for the room. Simple, fun, and best of all- free!  (Well, kind of.  I had everything on hand.)

Sharing at some of my favorite link parties this week:  I hope you’ll join in and party with me!  Have a great week.


Spring Fling Day 3: Urban Outfitters-Inspired Bun Wrap by Peacoats and Plaid

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Okay crafters- you are in for a fun treat today!  I “met” Bre through Online BlogCon and became an instant fan of her blog.  She makes crafting so amazingly fun and sassy.  I just love her style and have so much fun reading her blog.  And her projects?  (singing voice) Awe-some!   So, let’s get to it!

Hey there, I’m BreAnna from Peacoats & Plaid. I’m dropping by to share my latest knock-off project:

I found this accessory while perusing the Urban Outfitters site and thought,

“Hey, self. I can probably make one of those. For way less. Challenge accepted.”

Lucky for you, I’m willing to share my secrets so that you can make one or ten of your own.

1. Felt of various colors to create flowers and leaves

2. Florist wire

3. Hot glue

4. Hot glue gun

(not pictured) scissors, flower tutorials

Cut a few leaf shapes out of green felt (I free-handed them.)

Cut 3 pieces of florist wire approximately 11 inches long (my buns are pretty big *bah dum ching!* so I wanted to make sure my flower chain was long enough to wrap around it completely.)

Twist the wires together to make a stronger, long wire piece.

Hot glue a 3 inch piece of florist wire to each leaf shape.

Stagger the leaves along the main twisted wire piece and secure by wrapping the ends around.

Hot glue a 3 inch piece of florist wire to the back of each flower.

Stagger the flowers with the leaves and secure the same way, 

by wrapping the end of the wire around the main wire piece.

Cut a 1/4 inch strip of green felt, secure to one end with hot glue. 

Work your way from the bottom to the top by wrapping tightly and hot gluing every few inches. 

Make sure you cover where you secured the leaves and flowers to the main wire piece.

Tah dah! This is what it should look like laid out straight…

… and this is what it looks like wrapped around.

To wear: wrap around your bun and secure the ends by twisting around each other.

Hope you enjoyed my crafty-kitsch alternative to Urban Outfitter’s flower chain bun wrap. 

I think it’s very flower child-ish and totally spring appropriate. 

For more crafty fun (among other things) come visit me at Peacoats & Plaid.

See?  Awesome!  Now, don’t forget to stop by this afternoon to see the CUTEST vintage fabric my friend Becky is offering one of YOU.  See you soon!


Connect with us! You can find us here:

Fringed Burlap Table Runner– Pinterest Inspiration

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I love Pinterest.  If you haven’t tried it out yet, DO IT!  Even if you just use it casually, it’s a great place to keep track of all the things you want to make, all the things that inspire you, etc.

I’ve got invitations if anyone wants one.  Just leave me your email address in a comment (or email me), and I’ll send you an invite!  You can follow me by clicking on the button in my sidebar, or going here

The only problem with Pinterest is really the same problem I have with blog-surfing.  There are so many great ideas, I often get caught up in pinning (or bookmarking) ideas, but never actually making them. As fall is starting to show its face, I decided to make my first “fall” craft something inspired by Pinterest. Though, technically, a table runner can be used anytime, it says “fall” to me because of the texture and color.  Fall is all about neutrals mixed with rich colors of nature, textures you can see, and scents you can almost taste!

I pinned this tutorial for a Fringed Burlap Table Runner over at Cottage and Vine.

It was simple.  It took a little time to unravel the edges for the fringe, but I just love how it looks. I think the fringe gives it an elegance and a richness that the burlap alone didn’t have.
I was so excited to get this post up that I didn’t even iron it to take pictures.  Oops.  Pretend it’s fully pressed and it looks even better! What are you pinning?  Leave me your username or link and I’ll follow you too!

I’m linking up to some parties this week.  Go check them out!

WInner- I Adore Decor. And….Ballet Vinyl Wall Art

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Before we get to today’s project, let’s take care of a little business.  We have a winner for the I Adore Decor Custom 8×10 Art Print.  That winner is 

https://twitter.com/#!/sweetums82/status/159086434211463168

dlatany at gmail dot com

Congratulations Latanya!  I sent an email- please reply within 48 hours or I’ll have to choose a new winner! Now, on to today’s project. We moved my baby out of his crib, which means he’s not really a baby anymore!  Sniff….  So, that means my boys are sharing a room, and my daughter gets her own room!  Makeover! My daughter, who is almost seven, decided on a ballet theme for her room.  I’m not one for characters and themes in bedding- I prefer to choose a color scheme and use the accessories to create the theme.  So, here is my first project for her room:  Ballerina Vinyl Wall Art. I cut these shapes from adhesive vinyl with my Silhouette Cameo.  After adhering them to the wall, I thought- wouldn’t it be fun if I gave them little tutus?  So, I cut up some tulle from one of my daughter’s old tutus, then scrunched it up and hot-glued it to the ballerinas.  I don’t know if I should have used hot glue, but I did and it worked great!  I love the three-dimensional look! I finished it off with a quote appropriate for the room. Simple, fun, and best of all- free!  (Well, kind of.  I had everything on hand.)

Sharing at some of my favorite link parties this week:  I hope you’ll join in and party with me!  Have a great week.


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