Snowman Hat Centerpiece

 I enjoy being crafty with items I already have in the house because let's face it, being crafty can be expensive.  Using leftover supplies from previous projects and repurposing other items is a great way to keep costs down.  This project didn't cost me a penny because I had everything already.  Work with what you have at home, here are my basic instructions.

Materials:

• Coffee Can
• Black Plate or Charger
• Black Spray paint
• Red Ribbon
• A Small handful of fake snow
• A Sprig of Holly

Spray paint empty coffee can and plate (or charger) with black spray paint.  Let it dry.  Tie a piece of red ribbon around the coffee can.  Set can on plate.  I did not attach the can to the plate because I wanted to be able to take it apart for easy storing.  Tuck a piece of holly into the ribbon and sprinkle a little bit of fake snow on it.  That's it, easy peasy!

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Thankful Tree... We Have So Many Things to be Thankful For

We have so many things to be thankful for, both big and small.  Sometimes you just need to stop and think about all of the amazing things in our lives that we have to be grateful for.  I know a lot of people take part in the Facebook thankful posts, but I wanted ours to be a little more personal and I wanted to get the whole family involved.  One of my Thanksgiving/November projects was this Thankful Tree.  My family wrote some of the sweetest things.  Several of them almost made me cry.
This is an easy and very inexpensive craft.  You probably have all of the materials you need!

Materials:

• Cardstock 
• Hole Punch
• Vase
• Random Tree Branches
• Piece of Ribbon
• Tag Die Cut/Punch
• Pen

We gathered a few random small branches from our backyard and placed them in a vase.  I had some extra ribbon from the Fall Mickey Mouse Wreath so I tied a bow around the vase to make it a little more festive.  I used a die cut punch to create the "leaves" for the tree.  My family then wrote down a few things that they were thankful for on the tags, we punched a hole in it, and then hung it on the branch.  I made lots of tags so we have been adding "leaves" to it and hopefully we will continue over the next few weeks.  

If you don't have a tag punch, you can use a circle, square, or cut them by hand.

Another fall craft made with scraps....
2x4 Pumpkins

and a free printable...
Thanksgiving Invitation

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2x4 Pumpkins

I love fall!  So of course I love to craft and decorate for the season.  This year I made a few things with scrap wood.  I did this for a couple of reasons.  1.  My boys think of it more as "Building" not crafting and 2. They have discovered that they love to paint.  I love when they want to participate so I am all for it!  Don't be surprised if  I continue the "building" crafts into winter!  

Supplies:

• 2x4 (or 2x2) Piece of wood
• Orange Paint
• Wood Glue
• Various Artificial Fall Foliage, Berries, or other
• Ribbon
• A stick with approximately a 1 inch diameter (for the stem)
• A Piece of Sand Paper
• Hot Glue Gun

First I cut the 2x4 to the appropriate lengths.  I made the large pumpkin with 2- 8 inch and 2-10 inch pieces.  The smaller ones are made with 2- 6 inch and 1-8 inch pieces.  This allowed me to make 3 small and 1 large without wasting any of the piece of wood.  PERFECT!!!!  Next, I lightly sanded the rough edges.  I then glued the pieces together.  The small pumpkin has 6 inch, 8 inch, 6 inch and the large is 8 inch, 10 inch, 10 inch, 8 inch.   Make sure to center the smaller pieces on the larger ones.  Then using two shades of orange paint ( I put them both on a paper plate and lightly swirled them together as I painted the wood) I painted all sides of the wood.  The wood needed to coats of paint.

After they were dry I glued a piece of the stick to the top of the pumpkin.  When that glue was dry, I tied a piece of ribbon around the stick and then attached a few pieces of the accessories.  I used the hot glue gun to secure them in place.

Make sure to check out the Frankenstein I made with a piece of scrap wood
Here is the link to Frankenstein

Frankenstein From a Piece of Scrap Wood

Supplies:

• 2 Large Google Eyes
• Green Paint
• Black Felt
• Tiny Piece of White Felt
• Craft Wire
• Black Paint
• 2 Bolts
• Hot Glue Gun
• Scissors
• Paint Brush
• Scrap Piece of Wood (I used a 1x6 that was 12 inches long)

This was a very easy project to complete.  The most time consuming part was waiting for the paint to dry.  I actually got the piece of wood from the hardwood store for $0.50.  I drilled a hole in each side of "the neck" that was slightly smaller than the bolt.  I painted all sides of the board.  I used two different colors of green paint to get the color that I wanted.  While the paint was drying I cut the felt hair and eyebrows and cut the wire for the stitches .  Once the paint was dry I attached the eyes, hair, eyebrows, and bolts with a hot glue gun.  The stitches around the head were a little tricky at first, but once I figured out how to best attach them I was good to go.  I wrapped the wire all the way around the piece of wood and twisted the ends together to keep it in place.  Then I glued the stitch pieces on top of that wire.  Then I used black paint for the nose and mouth.  I also rubbed a little black paint on my fingers and placed on the bolts and various placed on the face to make it look worn/dirty.  Last I attached the small (tooth) piece of felt.  

Check out what else I made with wood
2x4 Pumpkins

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Quick, Easy, and Inexpensive Halloween Crafts

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I wanted to make some crafts with supplies that I already had, but since I LOVE the craft store I decided I was willing to buy a few things to complete them.  I ended up spending less than $6.00 and made these cute decorations.  Get creative and have FUN!  Oh and drink a bottle of wine while you do it... you will need an empty bottle!

Supplies I Bought:

• $1.99 Bag of Google Eyes (the one that comes with a variety of sizes)
• $1.00 Small Wood Frame
• $0.45 Letters E E K
• $1.00 Small Chalkboard Frame
• $0.99 Sparkly Tree Branch
• $0.49 White Crepe Paper

Total $5.92

Supplies I Had on Hand:

• Wine Bottle
• Purple Paint
• Black Paint
• Green Paint
• Orange Paint
• White Paint
• Scrap Ribbon
• Glue
• Random Jars
• White Chalk
• Spider Sticker 
• Spider Web Place Mat
• Tape

** You can use what ever color paint you have on hand or you can buy acrylic paint for about $0.59 each.

EEK Googly Eye Picture Frame

First I painted the picture frame a lime green color and the letters orange.  After they dried, I attached the piece of ribbon, letters, and googly eyes with glue.  Last, I added a SUPER cute picture of my son in his Halloween costume!

The Witch is IN Chalkboard

First I painted the chalkboard purple and let it dry.  I lightly wrote on the chalkboard in pencil what I wanted it to say so that I had a guide.  Then I used white paint (you could use the chalk) to trace the writing. I actually glued the piece of chalk to the frame because the witch is ALWAYS in!  Next I added a piece of scrap ribbon and a Halloween sticker.  Last I dipped my finger lightly into the black paint and gently rubbed it in to the frame to give it more of a worn look.  

Mummy Jars

I chose three different sizes of jars.  A jelly jar, an olive jar, and a quart size Mason jar.  First I took a very long piece of the white crepe paper and crumbled it up just a little bit to give it a more mummy like look.  Then I just began wrapping it around until it was all covered.  I taped down the ends and even tied on a few extra pieces.  Last I glued on a pair of googly eyes.  I plan on placing FLAMELESS tea lights in them to let them glow at night.  

Now that you have finished that bottle of wine you can stick the sparkly glitter branch in it and your display is complete!

be sure to check out some of our other Halloween Ideas
Pretty Pretty Pumpkins
Pumpkin Playdoh Party Favors
Free! Chalkboard Halloween Printables
Free Halloween Chevron

Mickey Mouse Birdhouse

My boys are not always up for crafting with mommy.  I am not sure if that is because they are just boys or if it is because they don't share the love of crafting with me.  Either way I was pleasantly surprised by their attitudes when I got out the supplies to make these bird houses.  I think the combination of the Mickey theme (they LOVE Disney almost as much as me!) and the fact that they were able to get there hands a little messy (paint/dirt- It's all the same to them).  

Supplies

• Wooden Birdhouse
• Wood Circles
• White Buttons
• Red, Black, and Yellow Acrylic Paint
• Paint Brushes
• Newspaper (to line the counter)
• Paper plate (for paint pallet)
• Painters Tape
• Hot Glue Gun
• Scissors
• Clear Coat Sealer (if you want to put it outside)

I purchased most of the supplies at my local craft store A.C.Moore.  I bought two bird houses, 6-pack of wood circles, 4 buttons, and 3 bottles of acrylic paint for  less than $5.  I had the rest on hand already.  

I started by taping off the bird house so that everything but the red could be painted. Taping it off made it very easy for my kids to paint this by themselves.  

Nathan hard at work

Evan painting the roof

While the kids were painting the house, I cut a small part off of the wood circle to make a flat part to sit flush with the birdhouse roof.  Then I had the kids paint them black as well.  This project was a two day project because of drying time and other activities in between.

Then we let that dry and removed the tape.  Before you remove the tape you could add a second coat if needed.  When my husband saw them at this stage he was very concerned that we were making Pittsburgh Steeler birdhouses.  We are from Ohio, of course we were not making anything from Pittsburgh!

Then I taped off the black and yellow and let the kids paint the red.  So far so GOOD!

Once the red was dry (with optional second coat) use the hot glue gun to adhere the wood ears and buttons.  

Overall this was a very easy project and the kids can't wait to paint again!!!

I am a PROUD Mommy!

Now that both of my boys are in school, they both bring home lots of projects and assignments that make me SUPER proud. I want them to know how proud of them I am, so I have decided that I am going to create a better way to display their prize pieces. In the past, I have taped them to the kitchen cabinets, hung them on our (teeny tiny) bulletin board, and hung them on a magnet board in the play room. I have seen lots of ideas that involve framing the item, collecting to put in a scrapbook, or taking pictures of the pieces to compile for a photo book. I love the idea of being able to EASILY change out and showcase a new piece. So I decided to to make a couple of cork board frames to hang in the kitchen. Since almost anyone that comes over will see them I wanted them to look tasteful as well. I bought a roll of cork from my local craft store and I used two black 11X14 frames that I already had at the house. I used my cutting mat, a box cutter, and a measuring tape to cut the board to the correct size. Then I simply put the cork pieces in the frame and then hung (ok my husband hung) the frames in the kitchen. The frames can either be hung horizontally or vertically so I can change them to meet the needs of the current masterpiece!

BUSY BUSY BUSY

Sherrie and I have been very busy creating some fantastic items for our Etsy Store- Mary Bobbin's Boutique. Here are a few of the latest additions to the store....

This week I am working on a couple of Rag Quilts for my favorite nieces and nephew. I will post pictures when I am finished:)

Striped Rag Quilts

My newest craft obsession is rag quilts. They are fairly easy to make and very snuggly! I prefer the stripes ones because they don't look as "old-fashioned" as the traditional quilt squares. These are perfect for baby quilts (make awesome shower gifts), throws and kids' quilts.

Front

Back

What's even better- we will be adding custom quilt orders to our Etsy Store- Mary Bobbins boutique! You can purchase one of these handmade quilts for yourself or a gift. All quilts are custom and handmade. Please visit our Etsy Store at http://www.etsy.com/shop/MaryBobbinsBoutique?ref=ss_profile

So cozy!

Here is another one I made for a boy. You can see how snuggly it is because it put him right to sleep!

We can make themed or character quilts for your little one too. Below is a Star Wars quilt for our biggest Star Wars fan, Evan (see the Who Wants to be a Jedi? post).