Say Cheese!

Here is an idea for a Mother's Day gift. I'm going to show you how to make a tin picture magnet. 

First re-size the photo to fit the tin. Then trace the outline of the tin onto the picture and cut out the picture. Tape the picture to the inside of the tin.  You might need to glue the lid on.  They tend to fall off. 

Embellish by wrapping wire around the tin and stringing beads onto the wire.

Glue the magnet to the back.  Now it is ready to hang on your fridge.

Mini Scrapbook

I made a pocket scrapbook for my mom and my mother in-law for Mother's Day a couple years ago.  Everyone loved it so much that the our dads wanted one for Father's Day too.  You can tell the scrapbooks have been well loved. 

Here is how I made the scrapbook.  First I cut cardstock pages to the size of 3"x4".  Then I went ahead and punched two holes on the left hand side of the paper.  This allowed me to see how much room I had to work with on the page.  I found some quotes to go with the pictures and mounted them to the cardstock.  For the cover I cut a square out in the center for a picture to be mounted and then put the cover on a piece of cardstock.  After I completed all the pages I threaded a ribbon through the holes and added some metal charms.  I think any mother would love to have a little pocket scrapbook for Mother's Day. 

 

Can't grow it then fake it

Happy Earth Day!  I'm going to share with you what sits on my kitchen table.  My own little patch of grass.

My husband built me the wooden tray for it to sit in.  The great thing about it is I can't kill it.  Shhhh.  Don't tell anyone it's fake. 

Owen Painting

I just finished a painting that is a baby present for a cousin who had a baby.  I was a little nervous doing farm animals.  I'm not great at painting these type of animals, but feel comfortable painting jungle animals.  Go figure.

Framing labels

When we added a new half bath to the house I scoured the internet to come up with something to hang on the wall. I came up with the idea of framing perfume labels. I bought some old perfume labels and mounted them to matboard to give it a little bit of depth before I framed them. I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out.

Baby Book

I have really fallen behind on my scrapbooking. My daughter will be 4 very soon and the last pictures I put in her scrapbook were from her 2nd birthday. Now that we have our 2nd child I haven't done a thing as far as scrapbooking. I was starting to feel bad about it and went out and bought him a scrapbook. Now he has a scrapbook and I personalized it as well. I've never painted on a scrapbook before, but I think it turned out great. It isa fabric scrapbook and I figured it couldn't be much different than the canvases I paint, so I went ahead and used acrylic paint. I love it and think this might be something that I'll start giving as baby gifts to my friends.

Modern Chair

I wanted to share this cool chair by Damian Velasquez. I first saw Damian's work at the Art Festival in Fort Worth. I instantly knew I had to own these chairs for my dining room. I couldn't just pick one color and decided to have them in all different colors. I absolutely love them. They are so sleek and modern. You can see more of his wonderful furniture here.

Another painting

Here is the other painting I was working on for my friend. I just finished it this weekend. I hope she likes the paintings I made for Nathan and Abigail's room.

Art Wire

My daughter started preschool this year and always comes home with cute artwork. I didn't really have a place to hang all her wonderful art projects. My fridge won't hold magnets so I needed to come up with another solution. We installed an art wire in her playroom so we can display her art projects from school. She is so excited to have her work on display for everyone. It was so easy and all the supplies can be found out your local hardware store.

Close up of the hardware needed to hang the cable.

Name Painting

I've been working on a couple name paintings for a friend. I've been doing this type of painting for the past few years for friends as baby gifts. I enjoy it and it keeps me painting. I didn't have a specific direction on these paintings beside the colors. Most of my paintings are based on their nursery and so they have more of a juvenile theme to them. I wanted for these paintings to be displayed longer and didn't focus on a theme.
Here is one of them that I completed today.

Thank You Notes

I've been writing thank you notes as long as I can remember. My parents always stressed the importance of thanking people by a handwritten note. It really is a simple gesture that lets people know that you appreciate them. I love to make my own cards when I have the time. Here is one of my latest cards that I am sending out thanking a friend for a baby gift she sent me. I just love using my Cricut it really does some fun things. With this card I used the Sure Cuts A Lot program by Craft Edge. It works in conjunction with the Cricut and allows for you to come up with your own designs instead of needing a cartridge.

Hello Kitty

My daughter loves Hello Kitty or I should say absolutely obsessed with Hello Kitty. Anytime she sees anything Hello Kitty she has to have it. She is only 3 and half. We have Hello Kitty everything....backpack, lip gloss, hair bows, coloring books, purses, shirts. I think she's up to 7 outfits that are Hello Kitty. For Easter I decided that I would knit her a Hello Kitty to put in her Easter basket. She was beyond thrilled and has been carrying it around ever since. Here is the free pattern that I found to make a Hello Kitty look alike. I added the flower to her since Hello Kitty always has a bow or flower on her head.

Vase Maker

I received this as a gift a few years back and I think it is awesome. You can find it at http://www.designfenzider.com. There are unlimited possibilities to what you can make into a vase. Voila, a margarita glass into a vase.