Wood Slice State Ornament

I grew up in New Mexico, so I decided to make some Wood Slice New Mexico Ornaments, but any state would work to show your pride!

You can cut and sand your own wood slices from thick branches, or you can buy a bag from somewhere like Hobby Lobby for a few dollars.

After sanding the face of the wood slice, I free handed the outline of New Mexico since it's a fairly simple shape. New Mexico's colors are red and yellow, so I painted the inside of the state yellow, and added a red heart.

I drilled a small hole in the top and screwed in a hook. I like this look better than just drilling a hole across the ornament to thread a string through, but that works just as well. I tied a string through the hook, and it was ready to hang on the Christmas tree!

These would be great for an ornament exchange or as Christmas gifts because they're affordable, personal, and they are pretty quick/easy to make.

Popsicle Stick Sled Ornaments

Growing up, my mom had one of those Flexible Flyer Sleds. Somehow she would manage to fit herself with four kids on it, and we would go flying down the mountain sides! So, this year, I decided to make her some little Popsicle Stick Sled Ornaments to put on her tree since we're too far away to enjoy her sled with her this year.

All you need to make your own is: Popsicle sticks, wood glue, something to cut the sticks with (I use a small garden pruner), red paint, and twine or yarn.

DIY Pokeball Ornament

I never thought that fads I loved in middle school would be what my children are into, but Pokemon is one of those that my boys are obsessed with. My 2 year old daughter knows more Pokemon names than I thought possible thanks to her big brothers! So, this year we made some Pokeballs to decorate our Christmas tree with:

Felt Light-saber Ornament

Is your house as Star Wars obsessed as mine is right now? Our family dressed up in a Star Wars theme for Halloween, we have tons of Star Wars Legos, and my boys begged me to make them light-saber ornaments this year...

I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out! I free-haned the whole thing, but the handle was a grey rectangle, which I stitched the black details on. The blade was cut like so:

Once all the pieces were sewn together, I started sewing it closed at the tip of the blade, and stuffed with cotton as I sewed. I sewed in a piece of yarn to hang it with (my boys picked purple yarn of all colors!), and tried it in various places to find the best balance point. The ornament is about the thickness of a pencil.

I also added their first initial and '15. I hope these are something they enjoy pulling out each year and that these ornaments will remind them of my love for years to come.

Homemade Christmas: Popsicle Stick Box

My son actually made this for my husband for his birthday, but these are so cute and kids of all ages can make these for those they love…perfect for handmade Christmas gifts or just somewhere to store their own little treasures.

All you need is: lots of popsicle sticks (our box took about 48 of the narrow sticks), glue and paint.

Footprint Ghost

I honestly cannot figure out where I first saw this adorable idea, but loved it so much, I think we have a new Halloween tradition…footprint ghosts! What a fun way to record your child’s foot size each year, or make super cute cards to mail to grandparents.
Just cover your child’s foot in white paint and press it down on black construction paper. My boys loved this and kept begging me to paint their feet more :).
After the paint is dry, use black paint or a marker to draw eyes and a mouth. You can hang this up or cut it out to make a card. Like I said, adorable, right?!
I’ll be linking up to Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays, Anything Related, Works For Me Wednesday, Penny Pinching Party, Hoo’s Got Talent, Kids Get Crafty, What Are Little Boys Made Of? ,and Preschool Corner Friday.

Halloween Luminaries

After I posted about my Jack-O-Lanterns from a Jar last year, Debbie left a comment explaining how she used to make Luminaries for Halloween and of course I had to try it!

The process is fairly simple...you empty and clean how ever many cans you want. Draw a Jack-O-Lantern face on them and use a nail and hammer to punch holes along your lines. When you light a tea candle inside, you get something like this:

Bottle Cap Spiders

I still have a large collection of bottle caps and am always in search of a fun way to use them…well, my boys approved and loved playing with these spiders until I hung them up on our wall for Halloween décor :).

These are so simple to make that kids can help and it can be a family activity…just take your bottle caps and paint them black-if a little color shows through on your kids’ spiders it just adds character, right?! Use a dab of white paint and more black for the eyes, then hot glue pipe cleaners on for the legs. They look perfect on spider webs your kiddos can make!

I’m linking up at the DIY Project Parade, Market Yourself Monday, Making Monday Marvelous, 3 Boys and a Dog, Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays, Tip Me Tuesday, Ladybug Blessings, Re-Create Party, and Works For Me Wednesday.

Rice Bunnies

I figured my boys could use some more friends for Bunny & Clyde this year and after seeing Dana’s Peeps Bunting, and pondering on it for a while, this is what came to mind:
Rice bunnies! You know the rice bags that you heat up for a sore tummy…or bean bags for throwing around?

Monster Slippers

I am personally a barefoot person…if at all possible, I am barefoot. This winter, however, has left me with cold feet far too many times and I have actually been wearing my slippers a lot. Since K didn’t have any slippers, I thought I would make him some, and of course they had to be fun, so I ended up with monster slippers…or dinosaur slippers (take your pick).

 

Felt Crayon Roll

I cannot begin to tell you how ecstatic I was when, after leaving K alone with crayons, I walked back to find this completed picture:

I had thought he just wasn’t a crayon kid…I never was. But, he colored, and actually gave different aspects of the picture different colors instead of one or two scribbles which was all he had done in the past. After taking crayons to church in a plastic baggie for a few weeks and having him show interest there as well, I decided to hunt my reader for the crayon roll Skip to My Lou had published.

This seriously took less than an hour to make and is so simple because you just have to be able to sew relatively straight lines.

Please do click over to see her fabulous tutorial, but since I did a few things differently, I will post my own tutorial here.

All you need is:

Rag Heart Wreath

During the Christmas season I saw so many adorable hand-made wreaths that I talked my husband into buying a wreath hanger so I could make some too. I did, just a month or so after Christmas :)

These are simple and dirt cheap to make because all you need is a wire hanger and rags.

Car Play Mat

Since our cardboard car mat died, K has regularly begged for a new blacktop. I have been working on a fabric one for months and finally finished just in time for Christmas!

I used a heavy fabric that I have had in my stash for forever and appliqued all of the pieces onto it. On a side note, I wanted to cry when Black Friday ads had all sorts of play mats for dirt cheap, but at least this one can be thrown in the washer right? And it folds up nice and compact.

Washer Necklace

If you’re looking for a last minute, affordable gift for a lady in your life, read on…

After seeing the washer necklace on Blue Cricket Design, I knew I had to make one. This one is for my sister for Christmas, and I can only hope that she will enjoy it in her sassy, trendy teenage sort of way. I figure this with a giftcard to her favorite store will make a fun, useful gift.

I even have enough washers left over to make my own, which I will definitely wear because I think it’s super cute!

Magazine Christmas Tree

Handmade decorations for the holiday are so fun because they are unique every year and you don’t have to store them!

A magazine tree, or two or three, will be the perfect center piece for your holiday table!
All you really need is a magazine. It has to be thick like a Martha Stewart magazine. You can also add paint or a marker and glitter with Mod Podge. I found this on Make the Best Of What’s Around, who saw this on the Martha Stewart Show.

Popsicle Stick Puzzles

Do you have a little one that just loves puzzles? Thanks to Play Create Explore, I have the perfect homemade gift for you! These are so stinkin’ cute and so easy to make that older kids can make them for younger siblings. You can use family picture, coloring book pages, magazine pages, whatever!

All you need are:

• Popsicle sticks
• Pictures cut to the size of your popsicle stick puzzle
• Mod Podge
• An Exacto Knife or similar sharp pointy thing

Handmade Gifts…Photo Cube Puzzle

I know, I know it’s still not even Thanksgiving yet, but if you’re trying to make Christmas gifts this year, now is a good time to start (if not sooner!).

A great, and inexpensive gift that will be loved for ages is a photo cube puzzle! All you need are 6 or 9 blocks (I use 1 1/4 inch blocks from Hobby Lobby), paint, Mod Podge and 6 pictures.

If you would like to make a photo cube puzzle for someone you love, please head to my tutorial!

Milk Jug Skeleton

Due to a death in the family, I haven't been crafting much, but you know when someone loves crafts when they feel the need to craft even when they're out of town. You also know when your mom loves you when she is willing to call around to her friends and see who has empty milk jugs of all things :)

I'd like to introduce you all to Horace:

Tie Onesie

Every little boy deserves to have fun clothes to wear, and the complaint is all too common that you just can't dress boys up the same you can with girls. It's true, there's nothing like walking through the baby section and running your fingers over the frilly dresses, but when all you have is boys to work with, you've got to find something to have fun with right?

I'd like to thank my friend for expecting a boy so I could try making this tie onesie!
All you need is a white onesie...whatever size works best for your little one, Wonder Under or similar product, tie worthy fabric, an iron, and a sewing machine.

1. Draw or print out a tie template. My tie measures about 6 inches long, and 2.5 inches wide at the widest parts.
2. Trace your tie to Wonder Under and iron that to your fabric. I used one of my husband's plaid shirts (with permission of course) which made for a super cute tie! I separated the top from the bottom and laid them in different directions to make the tie look more authentic.

3. Cut your tie out, remove the paper backing of the Wonder Under and lay on your onesie. Make sure it's centered, and press according to the Wonder Under instructions.
4. Sew around your tie with a zig zag stitch to secure.

5. Use as a baby shower gift or put on your little man for special occasions and adore the cuteness of it all!

I wish I could give credit to whoever inspired me, but I have no idea who that was! If you have made these and blogged about it, please share so we can see how cute everyone else's are!

I'm linking up to Making It with Allie @ What Allie's Making Now,  Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple, What are Little Boys Made of? @ Seven Thirty Three, Get Your Craft on Thursday @ Life as Lori, Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage, Show off Your Stuff @ Fireflies and Jellybeans, and Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday on Tuesday.

Car Caddy 2

I have been waiting and waiting for a reason to make a second car caddy because K's caddy has been such a success. Finally, we were invited to a little boy's birthday party this coming Saturday.

I did a few things differently this time around. Instead of snaps, I used a strap with velcro to make it easier for kids to open and close. I cut a strip of the same exterior fabric, which in this case was corduroy, 2 1/2 inches wide, and 3 1/2 inches long. Fold it in half lengthwise with right sides together and sew along that seam. Turn right side out, tuck one end in and sew along that end.

Sew  the hook part of the velcro (or the scratchy side) onto the end you just finished.

Insert the strap before you sew the front and back to each other, with the strap's raw edge lined up with the caddy's raw edge. Make sure you have it facing the right way so when it's turned right side out, the velcro side will face in when you wrap it around.

Cut a piece of loop, or soft, velcro the size of your tire, and sew it to your tire...make sure the strap reaches that far or else you'll have to just sew it wherever the strap will reach.

Everything else I did exactly the same and had so much fun making this! I can't wait to fill this up with cars and give it to this little boy! For the rest of the instructions, head over to my first car caddy.

I love that each time I make one of these, I can make it as unique as I want based on the fabric I have on hand. I definitely love the corduroy for the front!