Archive for May, 2011

Ladies and Gents, be prepared to be shocked.

I made another Dollar Store Wreath. {I have a thing for wreaths.}

Yup. I did. And this time it’s a Pinwheel Wreath for the Spring and Summer! Yippie!

Are those pinwheels not just the most freaking cute thing you’ve ever seen?

I found these Pinwheels at the Dollar Tree. They were just so mini and adorable that I just had to create a project to use them for.

After a little more browsing, brain-racking, and scheming I finally came up with a great wreath idea.

On that same trip I also purchased some floral grass and a small wreath form.

I promptly pulled all the grass off the stems…

And then I dug through my scraps and wrapped the wreath in some burlap. You can wrap the wreath in pretty much whatever you want. You are just creating a flat surface for your fixin’s to glue onto.

First things first, you have to attach the grass to the wreath.

To do so, take each sprig of grass and pull the floral tape off it.

Now flatten each sprig in between your fingers. From here, just add hot glue (carefully!) to it, then attach it to the wreath.

Not hard at all, it just takes patience.

Now, in a spiral motion, work your way around the wreath gluing all the grass on.

I’ve created a video to help explain the grass and gluing technique. Enjoy!

Once all the grass was attached, I simply popped the pinwheels off their stems and hot glued them to the front of the wreath.

I love how bright and cheerful the pinwheels are.

And I really love that they look like they are floating in a field of tall grass.

When the wind blows the grass sways and the pinwheels spin. It is so fun to watch!

There you have it, my friends; an inexpensive easy way to make your own fun Spring/Summer wreath!

Cost breakdown:
3 packs pinwheels: $3
1 wreath form: $1
4 grass stems: $4
burlap: free
TOTAL COST: $8!

Eight Bucks for an adorable fun summer wreath. Can’t beat that!

If you decide to make one, I’d LOVE to see it!

I am a little obsessed with Caprisun bags.

Seriously. Are they not just the cutest things ever?

And lunch sacks?

Dying.

I’ve streamlined my initial lunch sack. It now has a handle, less velcro, a flap closure, and is less bulky at the top.

They are pretty much a huge pain in the patootie to make so I’m not going to give a play by play right now. Maybe some day. Here’s my tutorial on how to make the little bags though.

I also have been making these oh-so-cute large caprisun totes. They are great for school or going to the pool.

The big tote is the Barbie to the Kelly.

They are much easier to make then the lunch sacks. Basically use the tutorial for the small bag, but add additional pouches to the width and height to make it bigger.

I’ve been planning on making a ton of bags for my etsy shop, but seriously, I have no time. Boo. Don’t bother clicking over to the shop; there’s literally NOTHING there.

I made this bag for my sister Rachael for school at least 8 months ago. As you can see, it has held up great (this picture was taken just a few days ago).

I get asked frequently how to prepare the pouches and clean them. They are pretty easy to clean.

First, start out with all your used pouches:

Now, to clean them properly you need to jab a pair of scissors into the bottom and cut straight across. Then just tuck the extra up inside the pouch.

I rinse them under the sink as I go, just because they are sticky. You probably don’t even have to pre-rinse them.

Now, make sure each pouch is open on the bottom and load up the dishwasher. For real. It’s that easy.

I use both the top and bottom rack and run a standard wash cycle on them. They come out perfect every time.

These bags are perfect for birthday gifts.

We give them to all of Kinsey’s friends when they have a birthday. Even Travis’s friends like the lunch sacks!

Caprisun bags are literally the hit of the school. Rachael begs me to make the large totes for all her 4th grade friends. She’s gotten so into these bags that she has collected literally HUNDREDS of pouches for me over the past several months.

Who knew trash would turn into something so fun and cool!

Are your kids obsessed with any crazy accessories made out of random stuff?

Bottle cap necklaces, paperclip bracelets, soda pop top jewelry?

See small purse post here

See lunch sack post here

* This giveaway is now closed. *

The winners of this giveaway are:
comment #36 – Connie (klooper) & comment #140 jacquelyn from The Unworking Mom

It’s time for another weekend giveaway!!

Today’s giveaway is for a $25 credit to DiscHangers.
There will be TWO winners.

I am a HUGE sucker for DiscHangers. I LOVE them. They are better than sliced bread.

DiscHangers are self-adhesive discs that stick to the backs of plates (and anything else you want to hang on your wall). They eliminate the need for those ugly metal plate hangers.

They literally glue themselves to the backs of plates and are so easy to adhere.

It takes about 30 seconds to attach one. Once you stick it on the plate, just let it dry overnight and the next day the plate is ready to hang.

I attached all the plates on my mom’s plate wall with DiscHangers. (You can see that post here.)

I’ve also used them on my Monogrammed H plate:

And my Spring platter:

Check out how plates look with and without the traditional metal plate holder:

With the metal plate holder:

With DiscHangers:

I will not hang a plate on my wall without a DiscHanger. I am that obsessed with them.

I do want to mention that I have never received any DiscHangers for free from them. I purchased every single DiscHanger I’ve used.

* Please note, when you purchase DiscHangers, you must purchase the proper size for your item. The heavier the plate, the larger the hanger you’ll need. Here’s a chart showing what size you need to order.

For our fellow British Customers: If you prefer purchasing in GBP (£), please visit their UK site at discplatehangers.net.

Again, this giveaway is for a $25 credit to DiscHangers. There will be TWO winners chosen.

And now, for the Giveaway: