Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Guest Blogger - TAVE of mamaTAVE fame (and, my Sis)


Introducing my Sis, Tavia.....but, for blog purposes, mamaTAVE.  Tave is wife to Jason, and mom to my gorgeous niece, Anastasia - you would pay for her curls!  I am happy to have her as a guest blogger on my freshly-hatched blog.  After you check out her post here, swing by and say hi on her very own BLOG!

**********



I may have had too much fun with this project… Is that possible? It provided an excuse to get outside and kept my daughter happily busy right alongside of me. It just doesn’t get much better than that. And, the cost of the project (about $5 per basket) fit right into my budget as well. Had I been able to find a larger basket, I could’ve even used plants that were already growing in my yard, making this project even more economical. Nevertheless, out of this project I am getting an Easter decoration and a fresh supply of basil for a few months… totally worth the cost!

I know Easter is only a few days away (which reminds me, I need to go refashion a skirt into a dress for the little one….!), but if you would like one of these baskets for your own home you still have plenty of time. Here’s how you do it:

Gather your supplies of an Easter basket (I chose plastic and will explain why below), a bit of burlap, potting soil, and plants (we quickly found pansies, wheatgrass, and basil at the grocery store down the street).



Cut the burlap to fit inside and cover the bottom and sides of your basket. Put a bit of soil in the bottom of your basket, as it will get tight in there once the plants are placed inside and you won’t want a big air pocket at the bottom.



Place plants in the basket until they are pretty well squished in and you have achieved a look that suits you. Fill any gaps within the basket with more potting soil. Trim any burlap that is still peeking over the edges of the basket. In a few days, the plants should settle in to their new home and hide the edges of the burlap and the basket.



Ta-Dah! My daughter’s basket is the one on the left, and I have to admit that I am rather jealous of the way her grass falls over the edge of the basket like that… Nice.



A couple of things…

…I wish I had done this a week ago, so the plants would have already settled in nicely and look more “at home” in the basket than they do today. Sorry about that.

…I hate to buy plastic things, but I wanted to be able to leave this basket outside and enjoy it for as much of the Spring as it (I) will stand. Another option would have been to use one of the rattan baskets I already had on hand and line it with a plastic bag instead of burlap. Then, the basket could be an indoor decoration. The problem with this (for me), is that the roots could rot if the basket received too much water (which is what I tend to do, if I don’t forget to water it altogether… I’m not great with houseplants).

…If you are not sporting a green thumb, or you just don’t want to have to remake this basket every year (I am looking forward to that!), then you can buy a few sprigs of fake flowers while you’re getting your basket at the dollar store. You will still spend about the same amount of money, and you can store your ready-made basket year, after year, after year…

…You may have some wheatgrass leftover. If you do, plant it for your favorite indoor cat. She will thank you for it.



This is a great project for kids, too. After all, kids like getting out in the sun and getting their hands dirty (me, too!). My daughter enjoyed making one to bring to her grandparents’ house on Easter. If the Big Bunny is smart, he’ll hide an egg or two in there…

**********
Thanks, TAVE!  We'll see you on Easter!

Monday, March 29, 2010

neckLACE

Here is a little something I whipped up for my friend Rory's birthday...and now she will know that while I am rich with LOVE, I am cheap on gifts....  

Here are my supplies:
  • peach fabric - thrifted @ $1 for about 3 yards
  • fabric doily - last day of a church rummage sale @ HALF OFF of 75 cents
  • vintage butterfly pin (not used in final product) - last day of estate sale @ HALF OFF of $1
  • vintage buttons - thrifted @ 10 cents
  • gold chain (not pictured here) - last day of estate sale @ HALF OFF of $1


And here is the finished neckLACE!

Linking up here...
The Girl Creative



Sumo Sweet Stuff




Baby.Got.Craft.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Who Framed Willie Rabbit?

OK, that was cheezey...BIG time. 

I finally did something with last year's Easter craft!  Now, I need to find the perfect place to hang it...

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Let's Dish...

Start with 5 Dollar Store buys....(actually, I had the crazy glue already...but, I'll humor you).

Arrange bunnies in a circle...apply glue to ears...stack clear plate (or decoupage/paint as you wish)...Insert jelly beans.....


...And sticky fingers....
Voila! 
Linking up here...
Visit thecsiproject.com


CHALLENGE(s)

I am going to try and make one project tonight that will work for this....





and this....





Won't you join me??

I feel like I am back in school, and just remembered I have a huge report due tonight (that I forgot about!)...how did I let the deadline almost slip through my fingers?!

Baby.Got.Craft.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Easter Bunny Silhouette

I admit...this is last year's Easter craft.  But, I LOVE it, and have yet to decide on this year's craft.

First, I took a photo of Willie's profile against a white wall.  Then, I printed it out on a regular paper, and glued it to a sheet of black scrapbook paper. 

Next, I used a sharpie pen to add bunny ears to Willie's head. 

After the glue has fully dried (don't want to sticky up those scissors), cut around the silhouette, and you're done!  I glued mine on a white piece of cardstock....but have yet to do anything else with it!  We did use it as our Easter cards last year (scan, save as jpeg, print on notecards).

Maybe, I will do a little something with it this year, to turn it into a lasting Easter decoration....hmmmm....

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

shamROCK Shirt & Magic Leprechaun Dust!

Willie and I made "Magic Leprechaun Dust" for his class. 

Baby Food Jar
Leprechaun Dust (Pistachio Instant Pudding Mix)
Add Milk
Put on an Irish Jig, and let the class shake their jars...
Watch the MAGIC work as the mixture magically turns GREEN.

Refrigerate, and have a festive St. Patty's afternoon pudding snack!

But wait! There's more! 

Here's Willie's shamROCK shirt I made for his class party today.

He has an obsession with guitars, and I have found great fun in making him fun shirts.  Having a boy, I find my dress-up time where I can!


Linked up on...

Monday, March 15, 2010

And the Oscar Goes to....

Here is a little somethin somethin I made for my friend Jodi.  She hosts a great Academy Awards party every year; and I owed her at least ONE birthday gift!

And, after all, you are not a true craft blogger until you post at least one of these fabric banners!

It says, "OSCAR NIGHT."  And, yes; that is my CRICUT in the reflection!

Another contest!

I actually won the last one, so maybe I will be some good luck for you HERE!

Good luck; and I promise to post something original VERY soon!  I have a few posts in the works!

Baby.Got.Craft.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Giveaway!!

Check out this cool giveaway.

These necklaces are super inspiring, and look like you could pick up everything you need at a good estate sale!

If you win, I want to borrow....

Baby.Got.Craft.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Make You Holla MONDAY....

...as in, Dolla, Dolla, Make you Holla.

Welcome to a little something I like to call, "Make you holla MONDAY!" aka - Perfectly practical craft, completed in under $5!

I really struggled with what to blog about on this first REAL craft post!  Something under $5...something I need to do anyway...something festive, and related to an upcoming holiday?  Ummm.....HELLLLO!...how about all 3!?

First off.....MATERIALS:

Wooden clothespins, you know the ones....99-cent store for 100 of them! I'm using 12 of them...so 12cents.





FREE printable "Absolutely No Pinching" cutouts....um, FREE! (When you sign up for a TOTALLYworthIT email newsletter from HERE.)

HOT GLUE sticks...come on, you already have those!

Green solid (or print if you have it) fabric.  I had this on hand, but I will calculate - $1.78/yard at the Good Ol' WallyWorld.  Could not have used more than 25 cents worth.

Festive Irish-y ribbon.  I got mine at Michael's for $1.50.

PROCESS...

You can pretty much get this from the finished product pic, but here it is:

Glue ribbon on to the clothespin (being sure to tuck around edges.  Next, glue on the fabric circle.  (You can be as simple as pinking out a simple circle.  I chose to cut a fabric strip, hand stitch through one side, and pull to cinch.)  Finally, glue on your cardstock print-out.  Voila!




Now that I think about it, I guess we can sum up this project like this...
Wooden Clothespins...12 cents
Hot Glue....25 cents
Fabric...25 cents
Ribbon...$1.50
---------------------------------------
The irony of making a class full of preschoolers a "No PINCHING" shirt clip out of the perfect pinching tool.....PRICELESS! 

**Or, for those of you counting...$2.12!

Baby.Got.Craft.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Senorita, Que Bonita...Who's That Girl?

This is me.....Tessa.  I am a working mom, crafter, thrifter, shopper, and now a craft/thrift/shop/mom blogger!

This is my husband, Will, aka My Hub Dub.  He is not-so-secretly showing his feelings about my need to find (buy) things that I have a distant vision for.   OK - in this particular photo, he is really showing his feelings about my like (love) of country music.  And, that's our little guy - Little Will, Will-Yummy, Willy Wonka, Willie.  We'll get to him later!

I am looking forward to crafting with you, and sharing some of my weird obsessions.  Like - why do I have (I mean HAVE) to buy unfinished projects I find at Estate Sales?

While we are making the intros.....check out my SISShe has a crafty blog too!

Let's start MONDAY with a little something I like to call...

Make You Holla Monday - as in, Dolla' Dolla' Make You Holla....where I will share a fun craft I create from Dollar Store finds!

See you then!