This was my gift to J for last year’s Valentine’s Day. Here are the cool things about this gift:
It’s FREE.
It lasts all year long.
It is also a gift for me.
You really learn to show love for each other better.
I covered some canisters with paper and stickers. I used decoupage, but you could use double sided tape, too.
Here are the rules:
His & Hers Requests (aka Love Bucket)
-Write 46 things (since there are 46 weeks left in the year) that we want our spouse to do with us or with us.
-Put those sheets of paper in your canister, and then we will swap canisters.
-On Sundays, we will each pull a strip of paper out of each other’s jar, and we’ll have to do whatever the spouse asked for.
-We will have the whole week to do the request.
-We will put the papers (with the writing hidden) on our bathroom mirror as a reminder.
On Sunday, J and I each drew one strip of paper (his were blue; mine were pink). Some of his said things like: Create a new meal without a recipe; compose a rap song for me; invite 3 couples over for games; iron 4 shirts for me. Mine were requests like: Bring me a candy bar home from work; rub my feet; take care of Abs on Saturday morning so I can sleep in; write me love notes around the house.
I got this idea from an article I read, and I was happy that J was super excited about this project. Yea for a good, free gift!
I’ve made up a video to describe the process for you. One thing though, at about 50 seconds into the video, I gave the wrong info. . . . You actually put the middle sheet of paper waxy side UP (not down, as said in video).
Some extra information . . .
****I’ve been told by one person that she had a problem with printing her image (the paper got really stuck). Sooo, you might wanna be on the safe side and trace your image onto the paper side of the freezer paper.
Freezer paper is rolled up like wrapping paper. I like to cut mine in 8.5×11 inch sheets, so they can go directly in the printer. If you don’t want to print onto the freezer paper, you can print onto a normal sheet of paper and then trace the image onto freezer paper. Regardless of how you print, you want your design on the freezer paper to be on the paper side because you want the waxy side to be ironed onto your fabric.
Also, cut the image with an exacto knife on top of cardboard, cutting board, or a rotary board.
I open the shirt and insert a cardboard in the middle, so the paint won’t bleed.
You can use tweezers to remove the small bits of freezer paper after you’re finished painting.
Several women have commented on Lyds’s car seat tent, so I’m finally getting around to doing the tutorial. It’s SUPER easy!
I remember going out with Abs and getting frustrated, trying to keep the sun completely out of her eyes with the car seat sunshade. And don’t even get me started about when it would rain. Also, the wind, oh the wind where I live is killer and blankets would always blow off, and it was a hassle to hold her car seat, while trying to keep a blanket over her. So, thank goodness I discovered an awesome way to cover up your newborn with a car seat tent. Here’s what you need to have on hand to make one yourself . . .
Supplies
about 2 yards total of fabric (if you want it to be reversible, you can use 1 yd of one color and 1 yd of another color, or you can simply use two yards of the same fabric)
thread
velcro (not the adhesive kind; buy the kind for sewing)
Okay, so I started typing up a tutorial for this but erased it all, but I don’t have the patience to remember what all I did, since it’s been about 4 months since I made this. So, I’ll just leave you some links to some car seat tent tutorials that will be helpful. Also, here are some of my measurements that might help you (keep in mind that this won’t make sense to you until you look at the tutorial links):
I cut 2 inches off the bottom; it left my fabrics to be36 L x 42 W (35 long when sewed)
For my velcro straps: soft side up, facing back (velro down, facing front) 7-8 inches long
When I measured the cloth front to back, I sewed the straps directly in the middle lengthwise (21 inches) and measured side to side; 12.5 from outside (7 ¼ in b/t each other).
So, it’s still not 100% done, but I just can’t wait any longer to show you pictures of Abs’s new big girl room. Now why didn’t I ever take pictures of the room before when it was just an office/guest room?? Oh, I know, because it looked awful! So, sorry you don’t get the full effect of before and after shots. Just imagine an ugly off white wall with ugly brown doors and brownish, ugly carpet.
Okay, here are two pictures I found of the day we started doing the redo.
We painted a block wall (I talked about it here). Eventually, I’ll do a tutorial for you.
J painted her doors; they used to be a nasty brown wood.
The window treatments are made from tulle. A friend made the bow holder.
J and his dad made the clothing rack. The shelf has picture of Abs at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 weeks old.
Still lots of work to be done. I want to make tissue paper flower pom poms. We need to convert her crib to a toddler bed. And we need to get new door hinges and knobs. And I want to make a wall decal and vinyl lettering. Oh, and J’s going to build her a low play table that we can put her baby doll house and barn on top and store her toys underneath. But overall, we’re pretty satisfied with her room, and she loves it!
I’m not a very crafty person, so that’s why you can know that this project is very easy. Plus, I’m a cheapo, so you know this didn’t break the bank. In fact, it saved me $98 from not buying them online– no joke! And I was proud of myself for making the letters below for my DD’s nursery, with the help of my very good friend Tiffany.
Here’s what you need (I got all of these items from Hobby Lobby):
