Today I’m sharing not just one craft tutorial, but two! If this blog were anything but free then that would be a great deal. As it is, I guess that just means more reading for you. So grab a cup of coffee and let’s get started! I’ve recently fallen in love with a new (to me) product called Deco Foil from Thermoweb. You may be familiar with Therm O Web if you do any kind of paper crafting because you probably use at least one of their adhesives: Zots, mounting squares, tape runners, etc. When Therm O Web asked if I’d be interested in using their foil to make a couple of… Keep Reading
Etched Glass Luminarias
I may be a little biased, but I think luminarias are magical. If you’re not familiar with them, luminarias are a Christmas Eve tradition here in New Mexico. Sometimes called farolitos, they have their roots in ancient Spanish culture. They traditionally consist of paper bags with a bit of sand in the bottom for weight, and a candle lit inside, which doesn’t sound very exciting, but somehow in the dark of Christmas Eve, they become a symbol of light and love. Photo credit: chris runoff / Foter.com / CC BY-ND The first year of our marriage, and our first Christmas in our new house, we suffered not a snow storm, but a… Keep Reading
Knit Your Own Fall Shawl with SKEINO
It’s finally scarf and shawl weather! And to get ready, I have a fun knitting project for you to try. Today I’m teaming up with my favorite craft tutorial website, Guidecentral, to bring you this Startup Shawl from SKEINO. SKEINO is a unique yarn company specializing in hand painted high quality yarn, knitting kits, and handmade gift items and accessories. What’s really neat about SKEINO is that all their yarns are hand painted and packed by people with special needs so they can provide these folks with a regular income. I just think that’s cool, and it made me happy thinking about it while I was using their yarn on this project. I bet you didn’t… Keep Reading
Make Your Own Coconut Oil Sugar Scrub
Do you know how easy it is to make your own sugar scrub? I didn’t! This coconut oil sugar scrub recipe can be made with as little as two ingredients. To me, summer means three things: sun, heat, and barefeet. All three of which result in dry skin, especially here in the Desert Southwest of New Mexico. Until recently I had been using a super-posh exfoliating scrub from Origins, which a friend gave me as a gift. But when it ran out, I almost had heart failure when I saw how expensive it would be to buy for myself. ~This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I… Keep Reading
DIY Door Hanger: Hello Gorgeous!
I love having visitors. To me, they’re like the rare handwritten letter in the middle of a mailbox full of bills and advertisements. Having a visitor at my door (not counting the ones trying to sell me something) is a refreshing break in a day that’s often filled with chores and sometimes even loneliness. And any excuse to fire up the coffeemaker and sit down with a friend is a good thing! So to make my visitors feel welcome I made this colorful sign, instead of a welcome mat which would inevitably be covered with leaves and dusty footprints. This one is right at eye level and stays clean, no… Keep Reading
From a Box of Bills to a Craft Organizer
Who pays bills anymore? I know I don’t. Well, at least not the kind where you sit down at your desk, pull out all your bills and your checkbook, write a bunch of checks, and then inevitably give your tongue a paper cut licking envelopes and stamps. I pay all my bills online. I figure if you can’t accept online payment, you aren’t really serious about getting paid. (Note to my internet provider: I really DO pay my bills, especially yours!) So when we decided to clean out our computer desk so my husband could take over some more space, we found we hadn’t really used this old bill organizer… Keep Reading
Simple No-Sew Bunk Bed Tent
Try this easy no-sew bunk bed tent trick next time your little one wants to use all your sheets and blankets to build a fort out of their bed. One of my daughters is a burrower. Do you know a kid like this? She likes to pile up all her stuffed animals on her bed and sleep right in the middle of them. If you’re ever looking for her, you can bet she’s hiding somewhere under a sheet tent in the den or behind a chair reading a book with about 3 or 4 of her animals. She’s also an engineer-in-the-making. If you’re on Instagram with me, you may have… Keep Reading
Easy Watercolor Heart Garland
The weather is cold outside so today we’re warming things up inside with this fun and easy Watercolor Heart Banner made from book pages. This is such an easy project that I set my kids to work on it. They’re always happy to help with any project involving paint, but when I explained that we’d first be ripping pages out of a book they were horrified. I realized that everything I and their teachers have been telling them all their young lives about how to properly treasure and care for their books was crashing down around them, all for the sake of a craft project. They quickly rallied though, when… Keep Reading
Easy Fall Wreath
If you’ve been on Pinterest or DIY blogs lately, you’ve probably noticed that wreathes are HUGE right now. Ok, the wreaths themselves aren’t actually huge, just the design trend is. I mean, wreaths haven’t been this big since the mid-80’s, and I know this because I remember learning how to make one in girl scouts around the 6th grade or so. Who would have thought that particular life skill would come in handy again later…much later…in life? I guess you just never know. Anyway, I do love wreaths, and I love projects that are easy, no sew, and super cheap. Bingo! This is my latest haul from Goodwill. What do… Keep Reading
New Adventures and an Etsy Shop
Remember a few weeks ago, when I posted a two-part tutorial on block printing? I realized about halfway through writing the second part of the tutorial that most of my regular readers are not going to take the time to learn that particular skill. (If you do, I’d love to hear from you!) I mean, I could barely get through writing it, and I’m passionate about this stuff! Let’s just say that some arts and crafts are easier than others. While I was realizing this, I also realized how much I enjoy making these prints. So I decided to open an Etsy shop to allow me to keep making things I… Keep Reading