First Craft Show

Well, Kaylan and I had our first craft show that we were only half ready for a couple weekends ago.  I don't really think you can call it a craft show.  We accidentally were placed with more of the business's promoting their companies instead of being a few blocks away by all the crafts.  It was a bit of a doozie, but an experience to say the least. 

Here is our setup. 

 Alphabet bean bags, menu boards, perpetual calendars.

 Hooded towels.

 Burp cloths, business card holders, crinkle toys, kleenex holder, baby blankets.

We didn't sell much at this one, but we confident our next one will be MUCH better!  Come see us November 3rd in Ankeny at Prairie Ridge Middle School! You pay one fee and get to shop at three different middle schools!  It's pure craziness, but a great place to fine unique Christmas gifts! :)

DIY Wedding Deets

Here are a few things Derrick and I did for our wedding!

I made a sign for Miles to carry down the aisle before me that said "Here Comes the Bride."  Here is a little bit of my process.  Derrick cut me a piece of wood.  I painted it grey.  I cut out a design on the silhouette, and painted that. 

 Then I also cut letters on the silhouette.  They were fine, but the glossy paint I used was horrific!!  When I tried to peel the vinyl off, it pulled up part of the paint.  Note to self:  Never use glossy paint!  it seriously is the worst invention ever!

 So that was disappointing!!  I had to start all the way over.  Worst thing ever.  Ask Derrick.  I cried.  Literally.  I had to paint over what I had done, and I used the other side to do the new one.  Same process: grey, white vinyl design, letters (which I changed), and thankfully it turned out.  Derrick drilled a couple holes in the top, and we strung it with tulle from Quinn's tutu for him to hold. It was the most adorable thing, but unfortunately our photographer didn't snap a picture of it.  We kept telling Miles that he had a really important job.  He was to take the sign all the way down the aisle and give it to Uncle Derrick.  He did such a good job! 

Also in this picture, we made our own programs.  Here is a picture of our programs before we had tied the ribbon on the top.  I saw the idea on Pinterest, and I think they turned our great!

 Here is Quinn's tutu that I made for her. 

She looked adorable!  And I think she had fun walking/playing down the aisle too!  I don't think she'll have a problem with stage fright! :)

For the groomsmen & usher gifts, we bought them mugs, and I etched their name and a picture on them.   It's hard to tell what's on them in these pictures.

 Here is Derrick's.  I etched a Vikings' head on his and his name.

We also decided to have cupcakes instead of a giant cake for our wedding.  So Derrick and I got busy makeing a cupcake stand.  Let's say we made it work, but it definitely wasn't our best work!  And it certainly wasn't a fun project...ask Derrick!  We bought a sheet of 1/2" wood, cut it ourselves, cut the PVC pipe, painted it, and put it all together.  This project definitely took us a few months to complete.



 But in the end, I think it looked nice at our wedding! :)

I think that concludes this post of our DIY wedding details.  I would love to see your DIY projects too!

What I've Been Up To - Craft Edition

So lately I haven't been getting too much crafting in with it being so nice here.  Here are a few of my in-progress crafts that have yet to be finished:

First up are these calendars that my Dad's Uncle Walt made for Matt, Kaylan, and I.  Mom or Kaylan painted them these colors forever ago. 

And now Kaylan and I decided that just won't match anything we have decorated!  So...I repainted two of them, and I also had to repaint all the tiles that go in the slots.

You can clearly tell this project took up my whole craft room!! 

They are almost finished! Since this picture was taken, I have also finished the tiles that go on the nails withe all the months on them. 

The last thing I have to do is make all the holiday tiles and birthday tiles for each family.

I also have been working on Quinn's tutu for the wedding.  It's turning out really cute, but the material I chose to work with is a bit of a pain!  That's why this is as far as I've gotten :)  A little at a time!

We also finally got the herringbone art I made hung in our bedroom!

It matches the bedding we have that I made while I was in college, but we have registered for new bedding that will be even more amazing with it! 

I think that concludes this craft edition!  I have a couple other things up my sleeve, so stay tuned to see what they are :)

Herringbone Art (Tutorial)

Here is the tutorial on how to make this Herringbone art.  I have had this giant canvas that will be going in our bedroom since Thanksgiving (because I got it on sale, of course!)  I wasn't sure what I wanted to paint on it until I found this amazing inspiration on Pinterest here.  I knew this was what I wanted to do with my canvas.

First up for the tutorial is you need to cover your canvas with paint in the colors you want.  Pretty, huh?

Then I just covered a couple more times until I could not see any white under the paint. 

Next, take your colors and start layering splotches of paint all over.  I think our room is going to be gray with a purple accent, so those were my main colors.  Then I added in a couple blues and a green to add a little spice to it :) 

This is my final product before starting the herringbone process, which quite honestly was the easiest art ever.  And I actually could have left it like this because I really liked it like this too! 

I used Edge Lock painters tape to do my strips.  I laid a few pieces out on my cutting sheet and used my rotary cutter to cut straight 6-inch pieces.   

Then I started to lay them on my canvas.  I didn't know it when I started, but I literally had to measure each piece of tape to make sure my design wasn't going to get all wonky. 

This process too FOREVER!!  Like we're talking 4 hours FOREVER!  It was hard and painful on the old back, but totally worth it! ;)

Finally covered in tape. 

Next I took a few of the tape strips away to have some extra white boxes in the painting. 

And then it's painting time!  I had to do a few coats of the white to get it to cover over the purple.  The only problem with that is I think that lead to a little more bleeding of the white.  One super thick coat of white may have been better. 

Then peel the tape off and voila!!!  A finished canvas!   

Well, almost finished.  I still need to do a final coat around the edge before we can hang it.  There are some imperfections that, of course, I would love if they weren't there, but it gives it character; right?  I think it turned out great and I can't wait to hang it!!

Chalkboard Wall

Also while Kaylan was painting Miles chalkboard desk, she decided to finally paint the chalkboard wall in the house for Miles. 

It was a hit!  Kaylan and I drew Miles a little picture for him to see when he woke up from his nap and then he went right to town coloring too!

Desk and Window Painting

During Super Bowl week, we were really slow with work and it was soooo nice here, so Kaylan and I got lots of stuff done!  We painted Miles' big boy desk, his little cabinet that was Kaylan's when we were kids, and my window!

Here is the desk all painted orange and the top being primed.  I don't have a completed picture of it, but imagine it orange with a sweet chalkboard top!  It's adorable! 

Here is the window I started out with.  Mom brought this home from the glass shop she used to work at a couple years ago, and I'm just not getting around to doing it!! Geesh!

Here is final product!  I love it, and I can't wait to get it hung up! So easy and so cute! :)

Finished Pillows

Here is the final product sitting on my couch!! :) 

I love them.  I think I'm going to make a more summery pattern too, so I can change them out during the summer.  I'll let you know when I get around to making those. :)

O' Silhouette, O' Silhouette

I really love your creations!!

I'm so thankful Kaylan got a Silhouette for Christmas! It is really amazing! I finally have a project I can show you that won't be given away! :)

We each made a Halloween board! You need wood, paint, vinyl, transfer paper, and a Silhouette!



The Silhouette cuts your vinyl into the design you make on the computer. You use the transfer paper to put the vinyl on your wood, and then you paint it!!! It looks something like this in the process.


Then you (impatiently) wait for it to dry and peel off the vinyl!! Voila!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wreath Update

I feel like a mad woman with a zillion wreaths around my apartment right now.  I now have a Christmas one, Halloween one, Valentine's one, St. Patrick's one, and I'm working on an Easter one.  I also plan to make a 4th of July one, a fall/Thanksgiving one, and a summer one.  Whew!!  It's a lot of work, but I just love them! 

Here is the finished Christmas one.

And the St. Patrick's day one.  I actually still plan to put a little something to hang from the middle of them to spice it up a little bit, but I still have to paint and glitter those!

And here's a picture of the Valentine's, St. Patrick's, and Halloween.

Hypothetically speaking, if I were to sell these bad boys, would anyone else be interested?  Kaylan and I have been talking about having a booth in several craft shows, but we haven't nailed down what we would be making.  Of course, every time we make something new, we think we could sell it at a craft show...but seriously, would you even be interested in some holiday rag wreaths if you saw them at a craft show?!  Let us know!!  Your input is much appreciated! :)

Silhouette

Kaylan let me play around on her new Silhouette that she got for Christmas, and it was so fun to make some creations!  I finished what I was working on, but it happens to be a Christmas present; so no pictures for now, but stay tuned for an update!! 

Needless to say, I love the Silhouette, but it has proved to be a bit difficult to work with.  Though the things we are making are turning out super cute, they make it look a lot easier on the videos!  It's been a lot more time consuming than we first thought, but hopefully will be totally worth it in the end! 

Sorry to keep you in suspense with my project, but I'm sure I'll have more to share soon.  I the meantime, head over here to check out what Kaylan is working on!

Holiday Wreaths

Kaylan and my mom made a couple of these holiday wreaths last year, but I thought I needed some now.  And since I think they're so cute, I think I need one for every holiday! :)  You can find a tutorial here. 

The best part about making these wreaths is that I had to get over my PTSD in order to make them! 

I bought that steel mesh glove right after my thumb incident, but I have been too scared to use my rotary cutter still!  I finally took the plunge and used my cutter and look at all I got done! :)

I have strips to make Christmas, Halloween, and Valentine's Day wreaths! Yay!  Kaylan and I also just picked up some St. Patrick's Day fabric, so I'll be getting back to cutting! 

I've done a little tying, but got a blister on my finger and ran out of strips.  I should really have someone check my math when figuring how much fabric to get!  Geesh!

Here is half of my Christmas wreath!  I can't wait to get it done and hung on the door!

Let me know if you make any wreaths!  They're too cute, and you'll love them!