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!
Lyds had something on each of her bedroom walls, except for one, and I had no idea what to do. I came across this site and decided it would be a easy, free, and quick way to dress up her wall. And if it didn’t work out, hey, it was free because I had all the supplies on hand, and non invasive, so it can be removed anytime.
You need:
Scrapbook paper (any square size: 12×12, 9×9, etc)
Hot Glue Gun
Adhesive Wall Putty
Directions:
You want to use two pieces of scrapbook paper that are the same square size. I used 12×12, 9×9, and 6×6.
Fold the up and down, like a paper fan.
Crease each folded piece of paper in half.
Glue the outer strips to each other to make a semi circle. Do the same thing on the other piece of paper.
Next, glue them together on the outsides.
Get adhesive wall putty, and roll it into a ball about the size of a ping pong. Put it on the wall. Stick the middle of the decoration into the putty, and you’re done!
Have you done any neat wall art you want to share?
I made Baby Legwarmers in two different ways. The first way: a knee high sock went from this to this.
This way took less time than the second way, but it didn’t look as good, and the
legwarmers kept sliding off Abs’s thighs at church.
So, the tutorial is going to be how to make legwarmers that look the top 3 legwarmers in this picture:
Supplies
Ladies Knee High socks
Thread
Directions
Cut the sock right above the heel.
Then cut off a 3 inch section of the heels. Then cut off the toes. You don’t need those anymore.
Using the middle pieces: turn them inside each other, wrong sides together. You’ll use this for the bottom cuff. I liked mine to be about the side of the existing cuffs, so, I cut the middle piece to about 3 inches.
Now just place the leg pieces INSIDE each cuff, raw edges lining up.
Pin together and sew around the raw edges with a zigzag stitch for stretch.
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!
Cake mix (I used one box of Betty Crocker Butter Pecan) and whatever it needs (eggs, oil)
Frosting
Food Coloring
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of a 13×9 in dish with baking spray (the kind that says it has flour). Grease a 1 qt Pyrex bowl with shortening and then, coat with flour.
Make the cake mix and pour 1.5 cups of the batter into the 1 qt bowl. Then, pour the remaining batter into the 13×9 dish. [If you want the sheet cake taller or the soccer ball higher, then, you could use two cake mixes, but I just preferred to use one box).
Bake the 13x9 dish for 20-30 mins, depending on your oven. [You might be able to bake the soccer ball and sheet cake at the same time, but I was too nervous to try that, so I baked the sheet cake first, and then, I baked the soccer ball.] And then, bake the 1 qt bowl 25-35 mins. Cool each cake for 10 minutes.
Then, turn an 8×8 dish upside down and spray the bottom/underside of it with flour baking spray. Flip it over, and push the coated side onto the sheet cake, in order to get rid of the “dome” shape. It really works! With the soccer ball cake, I used a Tupperware bowl (sprayed) to push that dome shape down. (Sorry I didn’t take a picture, but you can look here: http://www.ehow.com/how_4816098_soccer-ball-cake.html at step #3 for the idea).
Flip the sheet cake over onto the serving tray (I put wax paper under mine, so I’d be able to tear the paper off, in case I messed up with the frosting). And flip the soccer ball onto a plate. Freeze cakes for 1 hour each.
I frosted each cake with a thin layer of frosting as a skim/crumb coat (blue sky, green grass, and white for soccer ball). Then, I put them back in the freezer for almost an hour.
Put the soccer ball on top of the sheet cake. [Frost the soccer ball again, if you think it needs another coat (I didn't).] Cut out a pentagon shape and a hexagon shape. The pentagon needs to be smaller than the hexagon. [I can't remember my measurements. I wanna say 1 3/4 in for the pentagon and 2 1/3 inch for the hexagon.] Use a toothpick to outline the shapes onto the ball.
Then, fill in the pentagon with a star shaped tip (I used a decorator’s icing tube) and the lines with a straight tip with whatever color you choose; typically black, but Abs wanted purple.
For the sheet cake: Re-frost most of the cake blue (for the sky). Re-frost the bottom part green for the grass. If you have fancy tips/bags, you can make it look more like grass. I don’t, so I frosted it, and then used a spatula to pull at the frosting from different angles. I used a decorator’s icing tube to make the soccer net, but I ran out and had to use a knife to do the soccer goal.
Store loosely covered at room temperature.
The camera was in Abs’s room while she was napping, while I was making the cake. So, I didn’t get a chance to take pictures, until J got home, and we used his iPhone. Sorry.
I started making this cake about 11 am on Saturday and finished around 4 pm (maybe?). And the party was on Sunday, but the cake still tasted great on Sunday and the next day and the next day . . .
