Sara Jane: DIY Gifts

I am one of those annoying people who has 99% of their Christmassing (yes, that is a word in my home) done December 1st EVERY year.  I do if for two reasons: (1)  I LOVE the entire process of buying/making gifts and then giving them to others and (2) So I can really enjoy the entire month of December and focus on the family traditions that we have created within our own little family.

During the year, when I am out shopping, I am constantly thinking of who would like what.  Two years ago, I had my children's entire Christmas done in January (there was a fantastic sale I could not pass up).  This year, however, I have been slacking soooooo, I thought I would share with you some of the projects I have recently started working on for Christmas.  I love doing homemade gifts, especially for my children, so I can personalize the gift for the person who will be receiving.  Here are a few that I've started....

1.  Car Caddy
2.  Doll with carrying case
3.  Mini Coloring Tote
4.  Magnetic Scrabble Board
5.  Little man ties
6. Sticky Grams (such a cute idea for grandparents!)

I just finished one super simple gift this weekend and wanted to share it with you.

I went to our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore this weekend looking for materials that would inspire me to do something crafty.  This store is one of my favorites!  Not only do they serve a pretty incredible purpose but they have random parts and pieces that you can't find anywhere else.  We got our beautiful claw foot bathtub at our ReStore for a steal!

Anyway....while there, I discovered their tile section.  After holding a tile for probably 3 or 4 minutes, I remembered seeing a coaster somewhere that a person had made from a tile and some modge podge.  Perfect!  I grabbed a few tiles (only $0.10 each!) and headed home.

For this coaster project, you will need, tiles (however many you want to make), mod podge (mine is homemade - Just a 50/50 mixture of Elmer's glue and water), decorative paper, felt, a clear high-gloss spray paint (not pictured), and a hot glue gun.

First, cut your paper so that the paper squares are just slightly smaller than your tile.  Next, paint your tile with a thin layer of mod podge.  Place your decorative paper on top of the tile/mod podge.  Paint another layer of mod podge over the decorative paper.  Allow to completely dry (I had them dry over night) .  Finally, spray a coat of clear high-gloss spray paint on top.  To finish off the coaster, cut out felt squares to line the entire bottom of the tile (I simply traced the tile onto the felt) and glue them on with the hot glue gun.  So simple and they turned out really cute.

There are so many ways that you could personalize these coasters.  I will be making some for a certain family member that will have pictures on top of the decorative paper.  Another fun thing you could do is to first paint the tile and then add paper/pictures.  Or, how about adding stickers to say something fun.  The possibilities really are endless.

Until next week...

Sara Jane

Sara Jane: Spray Paint

A few years back, I discovered spray paint and all the fun, amazing, creative ways that you can use it.  My last spray paint project was our TV stand.  It is BRIGHT yellow and so very pleasant in our family room.  I haven't used spray paint in quite a while though so I decided today would be a good day to get reacquainted with my old friend.

For this project, I went to our local Goodwill store and found these three great pieces:  two tins (each $0.99) and one ceramic rooster ($1.99).  Then I headed to Joann's (which happens to be next door) and picked out a few colors that I liked.  If you don't want to spend oodles of money on spray paint, Walmart has cans for only $0.99!  Its not the most quality spray but it works fine.

Anyway, here are the three pieces I bought today:

First up was the rooster.  I have a special place in my heart for roosters.  Last year, we bought four chickens.  My chicken's name was Mrs. Pettitoes.  She was absolutely beautiful but one Sunday, when we came home from church, she was crowing at our back door and we realized that Mrs. Pettitoes was actually a MR. Pettitoes.  I was sad....

Anyway, I love roosters.

For my rooster, I wanted him to be a deep red.  To start, I sprayed my first coat and let it dry for about 15 minutes.  Then I sprayed another one.  Remember to use short, even sprays for the most even color.  After that coat, I only had to do a few touch up sprays in little cracks and here is how he turned out...

We don't have a permanent home for him yet but I am hopeful that he will have a nice place in my kitchen one day soon.

Next up were my tins.  I have seen spray painted tins all over Pinterest lately so I thought I would give it a try.  Well, the first tin (the one with the handle in the picture above) didn't turn out so well.  Since it is rather hideous (very gloppy and runny), it is now a small trash pail in the backyard for the kids.  The second time, I remembered to slow down and take my time (something I am constantly reminding myself of).  This one turned out perfectly!  For this tin, I sprayed very small areas to start. It took me about three coats and about 30 minutes to get it just right.  It turned out the perfect color and really transformed the tin.

I will definitely be spraying more tins around the holidays to use as the wrapping for gifts.  I love how they look!

Since I had this beautiful tin, I decided that today was a good day to do the cookie of the month for my father-in-law.  I tried out something new and loved how it turned out.

Using my favorite pie crust recipe, I made little cookies (simply make the dough and shape it how you like, sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the top then bake them at 450* for about 7 minutes or until lightly browned).

While I could eat pie crust all day long, I know not everyone likes it so I put a small jar of some pear jam my husband just made in the middle.  We had to test everything out before we gave them away and let me tell you, they were scrumptious!  It tastes exactly like you are eating a bite of pear pie.

I have decided that I will one day soon make an entire platter of these pie crust cookies and then put out all my favorite jams - blackberry, strawberry, pear, peach- and just eat pie all day.  Yummmm!

Happy crafting, my friends!

Sara Jane

Allison: Frame Revamp Tutorial

Hello, and welcome to another week!  I'm not sure where last week went.  I cannot believe how this summer is flying!  That being said, we know that summer is a busy time, and our lives are no exception.  With vacations and kids and babies coming, we're going to try to keep our weekly themes a little more general to just "Summer" for a few weeks.  This may mean less consistency between the sisters' posts, but it also means more variety.  Hopefully we'll get some guest bloggers to contribute along the way.  I can't wait to see what my sisters come up with!

I think my posts will follow the theme of "Summer Projects".  My crafting energy has been greatly consumed lately with getting my house ready for this little girl to arrive next month and nesting is in full force! I have been working on her room, and trying to make Isla's a little more girly in the process.

A couple of months ago, I cross-stitched some cute little bears and added Isla and Norah's names underneath.  I wanted to find the perfect frame for them, but could not find what I was looking for.  So, I decided to take matters into my own hands.  Here's what I did:

I found this black frame at Wal-Mart for $7.  I liked the mat, and I liked the frame, but not their colors.  Isla has more brown in her room than black, so I wanted her frame to be a neutral white.  Also, the mat needed more personality.  Here's what you'll need to revamp your frame:

*Obviously, you will need a frame to revamp.  :)  I wish I could have found a frame at a second-hand store, but I couldn't.  So, I bought this lovely frame, and spray painted it white.

*Mod Podge
*Foam brush for applying Mod Podge
*Scissors
*Tissue paper of choice

Here are the steps:

Step One: Remove the mat from the frame and apply a good amount of Mod Podge to the foam brush to cover the front surface of the mat.  I applied mine in stages.  Make sure to apply enough Mod Podge around the edges.

Step Two: Smooth the paper down, and then wrap the paper around the back of the mat.

Step Three: Puncture the center of the tissue, and cut to the four edges.  You'll need to cut paper in the center down before folding it over the edges of the mat.  Apply Mod Podge to the folded-over paper and glue to the back of the mat.

Step Four: Turn your mat over and smile, because it's SO CUTE!

I love how my frame turned out, and think it PERFECTLY showcases my little ballerina bear.  I can't wait to hang it on Isla's bedroom wall.

If you want your own little bear cross stitch, check out our Etsy Shop.  I'll be providing them made-to-order, with lots of themes to choose from.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/fivecraftysisters

I hope you've enjoyed this frame revamp!  I love being able to make something generic into something that's as special as my little Isla Girl.  Have a great week, and keep on creating!!


Allison

Sara Jane: Fireworks and a treat

Hello hello hello!

I love the Fourth of July.  Not only do we get to celebrate this spectacular country of ours but we get to blow things up.  Who doesn't enjoy doing that???

For my craft  you will need:

Wire cutters, wire (I used 22 GA), twine, paint (red, white and blue), a fancy star, sandpaper and wood.  The wood can be any size you like.  I used an old 2 x 4 piece of wood I found at my in-laws house and cut it into 3 pieces - a 10 inch, an 8 inch and a 9 1/2 inch piece.  (AND just in case you're wondering....I CUT the wood.  This is huge for me because I usually just have my hubby do all the work when it comes to power tools.  I'm now looking forward to my next project.)

First, paint your wood.  I like a more distressed looking piece of wood so I only did one coat.  If you want a more solid color, do two or more coats until it looks how you want.  Again, since I like the distressed look, when the paint was dried, I took a piece of fine sandpaper and lightly sanded the corners.

Next, I cut three pieces of wire.  I first tried the silver wire but you could hardly see it so then I tried the gold wire and it was exactly what I wanted.  Each piece of wire is several inches long.  I cut it long enough to be able to manipulate it and still have length.

Next, I drilled 1 hole in the center of the top of each block of wood.  Each hole is approximately 1 inch deep.  Use your smallest drill bit when doing this.  When your hole is done, stick the wire in.  If you are having a hard time getting it to stand up, maybe try a small dab of hot glue.

Finally, wrap your twine around the blocks of wood and decorative star.  Does it look something like this....

 Finally, everyone (except my Penelope) loves to watch fireworks, right?  Why not have a tasty snack while you are enjoying your Fourth festivities.

Simple Caramel Popcorn

This recipe is a favorite for movie night at my house.  The best part about it is that there is always left over caramel to be used to dip apples in, drizzle over a yummy spice cake, or to just eat with a spoon, like I do.  I know a lot of people like the kind of caramel corn that is baked in the oven.  If you are one of those people, this is probably not the recipe for you.  This caramel popcorn is a delicious mess.  My kids usually end up having sticky hands, faces and hair when they are done with this treat.  We like a good mess around here.

Enjoy!  

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

2 cups packed  brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

2 T water

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 T vanilla extract

3 bags of microwave popcorn.

Directions:

Pop popcorn.  I tend to use microwave popcorn because it is so convenient.  Use light butter flavor.  The full butter flavor just is too much with this recipe.  If you want to use air-popped, it tastes just as yummy :)

Combined all ingredients, except vanilla, in a large sauce pan over medium high heat.  Stir until butter melts.  Watch the mixture carefully as it can burn quickly.

When the mixture comes to a soft boil, continuously stir for 3 minutes to dissolve the sugar.

Take the pan off the heat and add vanilla.  Stir until combined.

I have found that the easiest way to combined popcorn and caramel is to do it in a LARGE pan.  I like to use my roasting oven pan.  That being said, pour 2 cups of the caramel over the popcorn and mix with a large spoon (I use a spatula...easier to clean).

Save remaining caramel in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  It saves pretty well for a few weeks.

*NOTE*

Most of the recipes I make are kid friendly in that the kids can help make them.  THIS IS NOT A KID FRIENDLY RECIPE!  Please make sure you know where your little ones are when you are making this recipe (and whenever you are using the stove/oven).  The caramel is so hot and can do some major damage in very little time.

Happy Fourth of July!

Sara Jane

Lisa: Summer Activity Board and Cool Summer Sleeping Bag!!

Summer Kick Off!!!

This week our theme is a great way for me to start thinking about all the upcoming summer and the fun that it can be!!  One thing my husband and I have found to help motivate our children and to help organize our summer is a Summer Activity Board!  We let the kids think of activities and places they'd like to go near our home that are reasonable (we did have to nix the deep sea diving off their list!).  We then have them write their ideas on a poster board and keep it up where we can all see it.  Throughout the summer, we make plans to do an activity whenever we can and whenever chores are done.  It helps to make sure our summer doesn't pass us by without us getting anything done!

One of the children didn't get the idea that this was summer activities!  The ice fishing might have to wait till next winter!!

So my craft for this week is for a summer style sleeping bag made out of one twin sheet and a pillowcase.  With our summer comes a lot of family camping trips, sleepovers, summer camps, and sleeping out under the stars. All of which need a sleeping bag.  We have sleeping bags for each of the children but sometimes it is just too hot to sleep in them!  I have an old flat sheet that lost it's matching fitted sheet so I thought, why not?  A sleeping bag made out of a sheet would be so much better!  It is really a simple project and very good way to use your old bedding!  I was slightly embarrassed at how plain my sheet was so I went to Walmart and got a twin flat sheet for only $5!  Not bad! 

 I also purchased a matching pillowcase at 2 for $5. 

Materials:

1 pillowcase

1 twin sheet (for children or larger for taller people!)

Steps:

1) Fold sheet in half lengthwise with the inside out and cut to desired width.  Hem raw edge.

2) Sew up the newly hemmed edge and one of the ends.

3) Attach pillow case to the center of the unsewn end. 

4) Turn right side out and you're done!

I did go a step further, though, and changed the opening of my pillowcase so that I can just fold up the sleeping bag and keep it in the pillowcase when not in use.  To do this, I opened the seam on one side of the pillowcase.  Then I hemmed that newly exposed edge.  Next I cut off the cuff of the pillowcase and sewed that end shut.  Finally, I just attach the pillowcase to the sheet (like in step 4 above).    

Very simple and easy to put together but I think it will be really useful!  It would also make a great sleeping bag liner!  Here it is all folded up.

Kind of cute, isn't it?!I thought about putting straps on it so it could double as an overnight bag but I don't like the idea of long cords near my baby's neck at night!!  Call me crazy!  And of course, my other sweet children wanted what their sister got so I used what I had on hand to make them something.  First up, the cute IKEA fleece throw turned summer sleeping bag for my perpetually cold baby.

Super cute and perfect for her little self!!  Then of course, for daddy's little boy:

Go Cougars!  This is just made from two fleece panels that fabric stores sell.  We've had these floating around the house for awhile now.  Finally they have a purpose!

 Perfect!!  How are you and yours kicking off summer? 

Lisa